Sinkholes
S


Arrow Down

Huge sinkhole snarls traffic in Lynn, Massachusetts

Image
© wcvb.com
An extremely large sinkhole in Lynn, Massachusetts, has tied up traffic for the Friday afternoon and evening commutes.

The sinkhole is located at Shepard and South Common Streets. It is about 12 feet in diameter.

The problems are mounting after a sewer line broke Friday afternoon. Crews on the scene Friday night were working to shut off the water.

The concern is if the water line breaks, and it's already leaking, it could cause a gas main to rupture, which could then lead to an explosion.

City officials say the sewer line that ruptured is made of brick and dates back to the 1800's.

The broken sewer line caused the street to give way. It happened moments after a driver drove over the same section.

Arrow Down

Dog rescued from 50 foot deep sinkhole in Lexington, Kentucky

Image
© Sam SmithA dog was rescued Tuesday afternoon after falling into a sinkhole in Lexington.
A crew of 15 Lexington firefighters rescued a dog that had fallen about 50 feet into a sinkhole Tuesday.

Drew Wilson and his father were walking with Vader on family property on Grimes Mill Road when the dog slipped into a sinkhole.

At first, Wilson said, he could see Vader, a mixed breed who is part Catahoula leopard dog, about 3 or 4 feet down.

"He was kind of spread-eagle looking up at me," Wilson said.

And then there was silence after Vader slipped down into the blackness.

"I called to him and didn't get a response," Wilson said. "I was sure he was a goner."


Arrow Down

Sinkhole that swallowed Seffner, Florida man in 2013 reopens

Image
Seffner sinkhole
A sinkhole that swallowed a Seffner man in 2013 has reopened, according to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

The new hole measures 17-feet wide and 20-feet deep. Around 9 a.m., a resident walking through the area heard a loud noise and then called 911.

Emergency crews responded and determined the hole had reopened in the exact same spot as the original.

Ron Spiller, head of Hillsborough County Code Enforcement, said nearby homes are in no danger and there are no evacuations.

Spiller said when the original sinkhole was refilled, it was engineered to collapse the way it did Wednesday morning. He added that the collapse was not anticipated, but said such events are not uncommon.


Arrow Down

I-93 sinkhole shuts part of highway in New Hampshire

Image
© WBZ-TVThe sinkhole on I-93 in Concord, New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation says part of Interstate 93 in Concord has been closed because of a large sinkhole.

The northbound side of the highway was closed Wednesday afternoon between exits 13 and 14. Traffic was being diverted from exit 13. Drivers in the area were asked to seek alternative routes.

Workers surrounded the sinkhole as traffic in the area was severely delayed.


Image
© WBZ-TVA worker inspects a large sinkhole on I-93

Arrow Down

Fifteen-foot sinkhole swallows ice machine in Athens, Georgia

Image
© AJ Reynolds/OnlineAthens.com & Athens Banner-HeraldSinkhole
A 15-foot wide, 8-foot deep sinkhole swallowed an ice machine at a Baxter Street business early Tuesday, bringing an Athens-Clarke County utilities crew to the scene to determine whether any of the county's stormwater piping in the area played a role in the collapse.

Lynn Taylor, who lives on Collins Avenue immediately behind the Baxter Street Car Wash, said she began hearing noises shortly after midnight Tuesday, and continued to hear the noises intermittently throughout the early morning hours before discovering that the sinkhole had opened up next door.

"It sounded like somebody was ruffling my doors," Taylor said. She called Athens-Clarke County police, but did not know Tuesday afternoon what police did in response to her call.

Arrow Down

At least 4 missing following 3 landslides in Alaska

Image
© James Poulson/AP Construction workers and emergency crew members look at the damage caused by a landslide on Kramer Drive in Sitka, Alaska, on Tuesday.
Four residents of a neighborhood in Alaska were missing Tuesday after heavy rain caused several landslides, emergency responders said. The rainfall caused the City and Borough of Sitka to declare a state of emergency, according to CBS Anchorage affiliate KTVA.

Search and rescue personnel were looking for the missing people in Sitka, where three landslides were reported Tuesday morning after 2.5 inches of rain fell in 24 hours. One sinkhole also was reported.

The people who were unaccounted for were all in the same neighborhood hit by one of the landslides, Sitka fire spokeswoman Sara Peterson said. She did not know if the people were all together when the landslide occurred.

"The areas are so unstable," Peterson told KTVA. "We've got crews from the city that are out and about, from the fire department, from various agencies including the Alaska State Troopers and other volunteers are helping."

Arrow Down

Garbage truck falls into sinkhole in Seoul, South Korea

Image
Truck and sinkhole
A garbage truck fell into a sinkhole at around 7:07 p.m. Sunday in Muak-dong, Jongno, Seoul. Firefighters managed to tow the truck at around 9:03 p.m .

In February this year, two people suffered minor injuries after they fell into a sinkhole that opened up on a sidewalk in Seoul.

The sinkhole was next to a construction site where two blocks of flats were being built.

Image

Image

Shoe

Sinkhole swallows three cars at apartment complex in Madison, Wisconsin

Image
© Steve Apps, Wisconsin State JournalCars are sumberged in a sinkhole at an apartment complex on Aug. 14, 2015, in Madison, Wis. About 300 residents of the complex were evacuated after a water pipe break created the sinkhole and potential gas leak.
About 300 residents had to evacuate an apartment complex in Madison, Wisconsin, after a water pipe broke, creating a sinkhole that swallowed three vehicles.

Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster said emergency personnel were called to the River's Edge Apartments shortly before 5 a.m. Friday.

Rajendra Aryal's Honda Civic was among the three cars that fell into the water-filled sinkhole. Aryal, a native of Nepal who's still learning English, tells the Wisconsin State Journal he had never heard the word "sinkhole" before it happened.

While residents had to evacuate four buildings because of initial concerns about a gas leak, that danger was later ruled out. However, two buildings still had no electricity or water Friday afternoon. Officials say those residents will likely need to spend the night elsewhere.


Arrow Down

Massive sinkhole opens in public road in Manchester, UK

Image
Road collapse: The huge hole which opened up in Mancunian Way after flooding caused major disruption
Weather caused traffic chaos in a central location of Manchester today when a 40ft deep sinkhole appeared in a busy road.

Mass diversions were put in place because of the heavy rain and the road was closed in both directions after the crater, measuring 15ft long, appeared.

The giant hole opened up in Mancunian Way between the junctions with the A6 London Road and Fairfield Street.

It came as torrential rain battered Manchester city centre as well as much of the country.

Manchester council engineers and United Utilities have been called to the scene to assess the damage, according to our sister paper the Manchester Evening News.


Image
Large disruption: Thought to be around 40ft deep, the hole measures 15ft long and closed both side of the carriageway when it appeared

Bizarro Earth

2nd giant Chinese sinkhole in 2 days swallows entire building

China sinkhole
© Media Sharing Video / YouTube
China has experienced one of its worst urban disasters of recent times. An entire building, together with the ground underneath, has collapsed and sunk into a massive hole underneath.

The incident has occurred in Guangdong province, in Dongguan. Evidence of the monster disaster first appeared on LiveLeak in the early hours of Thursday.