Sinkholes
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Large sinkhole develops near La Jolla, California seawall

La Jolla sinkhole
© ABC News
A large sinkhole developed near a seawall in the La Jolla Shores area Thursday morning after a series of storms pummeled the region.

The 10-foot-wide sinkhole developed sometime before 5 a.m. at the bottom of Avenida De La Playa and Camino Del Oro, across from the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.

Both city of San Diego and San Diego Gas & Electric crews were on scene working on repairs.

SDG&E said it will have to build a new gas line to divert service in the area away from the hole. Because of the tide flowing in and the next storm coming Friday as well, city crews may not be able to start repairs until later this week.


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Sinkhole partially swallows backhoe in Bedford, Massachusetts

Backhoe in sinkhole
© Bedford Police DepartmentBackhoe in sinkhole
A backhoe was partially swallowed by a sinkhole in Massachusetts while responding to a report of a water main break on Thursday.

Bedford police shut down roads near Wiggins Avenue after a water main break caused a 10-foot-wide sinkhole on nearby Summer Street that partially consumed a backhoe heading toward the scene.

No one was injured during the incident after the water main break washed away much of the ground beneath the pavement.

"I guess it gave way and engulfed one of those backhoes," Bedford police Sgt. Ron Undzis told the Boston Globe.

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Huge sinkhole appears in Laudium, South Africa

 sinkhole appears in Laudium, South Africa
© Abramjee / Twitter Sinkhole Laudium, South Africa
A massive sinkhole appeared in Second Avenue, Laudium following an alleged pipe burst.

Tshwane metro closed off Second Avenue in Laudium after a part of the road reportedly sunk.

A bystander contacted Rekord to say that a water pipe that had burst was allegedly the cause of the ground giving way.
"The metro is on the scene and will apparently cut power to the area to start with repairs," the bystander, who wanted to remain anonymous, said.
The bystander also reported that a cellphone tower had been damaged after it collapsed into sinkhole.

See video shared on Facebook by Yusuf Abramjee, global communications director for Crime Stoppers:


Comment: See also: Motorcyclist talks about his 'dive' into huge sinkhole in Kempton Park, South Africa


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Garbage truck falls into sinkhole in Atlanta, Georgia

Garbage truck in hole in Atlanta
© Doug Richards / 11AliveGarbage truck in hole in Atlanta
The Atlanta Watershed department is investigating why a sinkhole formed this morning in SW Atlanta, damaging a garbage truck.

The truck, hauling for a private company, was traveling west of Fair street when the pavement beneath collapsed.

It formed a six-feet-deep hole, and the left rear end of the truck fell into it.

No one was injured.

Watershed department spokeswoman Lillian Govus said the cause of the sinkhole was a breach in a large underground terracotta pipe. The pipe carried combined sewage - rain water and waste water. Govus said the pipe collapsed because of excessive flow due to recent rains.


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20ft deep sinkhole opens up in Wales, homes evacuated

Sinkhole in Wales
© Benjamin Wright/PADeep: The 20ft deep sinkhole opened up at around 8am
Homes have been evacuated in south Wales after a street was closed off when a 20ft deep sinkhole opened up in a pavement.

Emergency crews were called to Coronation Terrace in Nantyffyllon, Maesteg, at around 8am on Thursday following reports someone had fallen in the hole.

Firefighters said a man had been "recovered prior to arrival" and did not need to go to hospital.

Residents from "six or seven" flats were told to leave their homes by emergency services after the hole emerged.

Highways inspector Neil Minchington told BBC Wales: "There's about six or seven flats that were evacuated.

"We'll assess the situation to see if it is safe to allow the tenants back in this evening."

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Huge sinkhole develops near Cross Lanes restaurant, West Virginia

Sinkhole
© WSAZ /Justin RogersSinkhole
A massive sinkhole has developed near a popular restaurant in Cross Lanes.

Heavy rain on Christmas Day helped contribute to the sinkhole, located in front of the Golden Corral in Cross Lanes.

Crews blocked the hole off Monday and were determining how to fix it.

The hole is estimated to be about 20 feet wide and several feet deep.

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Sinkhole opens up on Australian beach

Ballina Shelly Beach
© via Twitter

A sinkhole of varying depth and up to three metres across reopened at the south end of Shelly Beach in Ballina over the weekend.

On Sunday surf lifesaving guards put up boundary tape around the sinkhole to warning beach goers.

The sinkhole, believed to be between one and three metres deep, first opened up several weeks ago, Far North Coast Surf Lifesaving duty officer Garry Meredith said.

Comment: Also see: Biggest environmental disaster in US history is happening right now


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Landslide closes down highway 42 in Oregon

Landslide
Oregon Department of Transportation officials say a landslide has shut down Oregon 42 for at least the next few days.

They say the highway on the border of Coos and Douglas counties was "crumbling like peanut brittle" from the force of the slide.


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Sinkhole appears in West Knox County family's front yard, Tennessee

Sinkhole West Knox County
Sinkhole in West Knox County
A sinkhole opened up in one West Knox County family's front yard off Hickory Creek Road. Carrie Abernathy told WATE 6 On Your Side that it's around 13 feet deep.

One of Abernathy's neighbors came over to tell her about it and she was shocked when she saw the sinkhole.

"It's scary because of the kids, the dogs, you know, mainly the kids and my house," Abernathy said.

She has three kids and worries because they like to play outside often. She has warned them to stay away from the sinkhole until the problem is fixed.


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Sinkhole swallows garbage truck in New York

Garbage truck in sinkhole
Garbage truck in sinkhole
There was an unusual sight in Latham on Thursday.

A garbage truck was caught sinking through the pavement in a parking lot on Troy-Schenectady Road in Colonie. A crane had to come and lift the truck up so the tire could be freed.

The truck drove off undamaged, but there was a huge hole in the lot. People who live and work nearby say this is only a small incident but it reveals a much bigger problem. They say a pipe that runs underneath the lot from a creek on one side to a creek on the other has collapsed.

Comment: See also: Flooding causes massive sinkhole at mobile home park in Gretna, Virginia