Sinkholes
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Massive sinkhole swallows 2 vehicles in Mexico

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A massive sinkhole opened up east of Guadalajara, Mexico, swallowing up two vehicles.


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Car dodges sinkhole as road collapses in China

A car in China narrowly avoided disaster when a section of the road suddenly collapsed, creating a large sinkhole.
A car in China narrowly avoided disaster when a section of the road suddenly collapsed, creating a large sinkhole.
A car in China narrowly avoided disaster when a section of the road suddenly collapsed, creating a large sinkhole.

According to China-based news outlet 'Xiaoxiang Morning Herald', the incident occurred in Aihua Town, Yunnan province, when a section of Yingxin Road suddenly collapsed.

Surveillance footage widely shared by local netizens shows the vehicle speeding across the affected area, nearly plunging into the hole. Local authorities confirmed that the incident occurred due to sudden road subsidence.

The Yun County Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau has begun emergency repairs at the site.


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Deadly sinkhole search ends due to worsening conditions in Bac Kan, Vietnam

Search for the suspected missing victim in the 'death sinkhole' in Bac Kan has been officially suspended.
Search for the suspected missing victim in the 'death sinkhole' in Bac Kan has been officially suspended.
Bac Kan Province ceases rescue efforts as the area's geological instability poses serious risks to personnel and shows no signs of improvement.

The People's Committee of Bac Kan Province has officially decided to halt the search for a suspected missing victim at the so-called "death sinkhole" in Kim Lu Commune, Na Ri District, after more than two weeks of unsuccessful efforts.

On June 12, the Bac Kan provincial government confirmed it would end the search for the suspected victim who was believed to have fallen into a sinkhole in Kim Lu Commune, Na Ri District.

Previously, Bac Kan authorities held a meeting to consider the proposal from the Na Ri District People's Committee regarding the suspension of search and rescue operations at the sinkhole located in Hiep Luc Hamlet, Kim Lu Commune.

At the meeting, officials from Na Ri District presented a report detailing the ongoing rescue efforts and emphasized the challenges posed by the complex terrain and the continued subsidence, which rendered the operation ineffective.

Representatives from the provincial police and the provincial military command also reported on their coordination and search efforts.


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2 cars plunge into sinkhole in Handan City, China

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In Hebei's Handan City on Wednesday, a road collapse incident resulted in two vehicles plummeting into a sinkhole. A grey car was stacked atop a white one, with airbags deployed as a safety precaution. Fortunately, some occupants were able to independently extricate themselves from the vehicles.

The mishap occurred around 3pm on Wednesday at the intersection of Guangming Street and Shuichang Road, prompting swift responses from various local departments, including the urban management, police, and emergency services. Following assessments, it was reported that three individuals from the vehicles were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The Handan City Urban Management Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau's notification suggested that the initial assessment pointed towards the road collapse being a result of underground pipeline leakage causing erosion of the roadbed. Repair work is currently underway as investigations continue to ascertain the precise causes of the incident.


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Moment massive sinkhole first opened in New Jersey revealed in new video: 'Never seen anything like this'

new jersey sinkhole
© WABC

A stunning new video shows the moments after a massive sinkhole first swallowed the side of a New Jersey interstate.

Police bodycam footage obtained by ABC7 captured the moment cops drove up to the edge of a mammoth sinkhole that opened up on Route 80 in Wharton the day after Christmas.

The sinkhole, which created a giant crater along the shoulder of the road, has caused a shutdown of the roadway since December.WABC

"Look at how far it goes under there ... we just went by and said 'Holy ... !'" a man who witnessed the sinkhole collapse told a trooper in the footage.

"I've never seen anything like this," another man said while steam appeared to rise from the giant opening.

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Lucky escape for family of 4 as taxi falls into sinkhole in Chennai, India

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A taxi driver and a family of four had a narrow escape after the car they were travelling in fell into an eight-foot-deep sinkhole formed by a road cave-in on Rajiv Gandhi Salai near Tidel Park in Chennai on Saturday, May 17.

The incident occurred around 6.30 pm during rush hour when the taxi driver, identified as Shollinganallur resident Maridas (47), was taking Vignesh (42), his wife Dhanya (32), and their children Aswanth (12) and Advaith (7) to the Chennai Central Railway Station.

Passing motorists and on-duty traffic police who were at the site rushed to their aid. Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services personnel arrived and rescued the trapped passengers with the help of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) contractors. All five were shifted to a nearby hospital for first-aid. No major injuries were reported. In the aftermath, traffic police blocked off the road and diverted the traffic.

A sewer line leakage from a 2.2 m diameter underground pipe of the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) was cited as the reason for the road cave-in. Teams from the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC), which maintains the OMR stretch, inspected the site and began restoration of the road in coordination with CMWSSB.

Meanwhile, CMRL clarified that the incident had occurred 300 m away from a CMRL site hoarding and was not linked to metro construction happening in the area.


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Sinkhole and fissure emerge in Thailand's Krabi following earthquake

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© The Nation Thailand/ANN
A large sinkhole and fissure appeared in Krabi's Khao Phanom district on Saturday, which a local believes may have been caused by an earthquake.

The sinkhole, measuring 20 by 20 metres, and a long fissure spanning more than four rai, were discovered behind the Theppitak chicken farm. In the chicken coop area, cracks were found in the floor at two locations, and a beam had subsided by approximately one centimetre.

Initially, the Moo 10 village headman, Thanapol Rampoey, cordoned off the danger zone and prohibited villagers from entering the area.

The owner of the chicken farm, identified as Suwit, 52, said that villagers had alerted him to the appearance of the sinkhole. He explained that the hole was initially not very wide, but it gradually expanded until two three-year-old oil palm trees were completely submerged, with even their tops no longer visible.


Comment: Elsewhere further north in the country at the start of April: 6 large sinkholes found after earthquake in Mae Hong Son, Thailand


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Large sinkhole closes part of Cass Avenue in north St. Louis, Missouri

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A large sinkhole lead to part of Cass Avenue being closed Friday night in north St. Louis city.

At around 7:30 p.m., SLMPD said officers closed off the area of Cass and 17th Street in the Carr Square neighborhood near Murphy Park.


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6 large sinkholes found after earthquake in Mae Hong Son, Thailand

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The Mineral Resources Regional Office 1 has advised locals to exercise caution regarding the sinkholes recently discovered in Mae Hong Son's Khun Yuam district.

Six sinkholes were found on an agricultural plot in the Ban Mae Surin village between March 29-30, following the earthquake, with diameters ranging from two to 30 metres. The holes have been showing continuous subsidence and expansion.

The office reported that the sinkholes are clustered in a north-south direction along the active Mae Hong Son fault line.

The soil in the sinkholes consists of clay mixed with sand, which results in the water pooling in the sinkholes appearing murky, the office explained. The mouths of the sinkholes are conical in shape, indicating that the soil layers have collapsed vertically into a void below.


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Huge sinkhole in Seoul, South Korea traps SUV and motorcycle - man found dead (UPDATE)

Emergency responders conduct a rescue
© YONHAPEmergency responders conduct a rescue operation at an intersection near Daemyung Elementary School in Gangdong District, eastern Seoul, after a sinkhole appears on March 24.
A large sinkhole formed at an intersection in Gangdong District, eastern Seoul, on Monday resulted in one injured person.

A Kia Carnival SUV was caught in the sinkhole, which was 20 meters in diameter and 30 meters deep, while a motorcycle also fell in.

According to the Gangdong Fire Department, the sinkhole appeared around 6:29 p.m. near at an elementary school in Myeongil-dong. The hole, spanning 4.5 lanes, trapped the SUV.

The SUV driver sustained non-life-threatening injured and was transported to a hospital.

Emergency workers said that witnesses reported that a motorcycle also fell into the sinkhole.

Authorities are determining the full extent of the damage.


Comment: Update March 25

The BBC reports:
A man who fell into a large sinkhole in South Korea's capital Seoul has been found dead, according to the local fire department.

The man was riding his motorbike in the Gangdong district when the road caved in at about 18:30 local time (09:30 GMT) on Monday.

Rescuers found his body underground on Tuesday morning around 11:00 local time, about 50m (164ft) from where he had fallen in.

A car driver was also injured in the incident, which has gone viral on South Korean social media.

A dashcam video widely circulating online appears to show the moment the road caved in near a traffic junction. It shows the motorcyclist falling into the hole, while a car travelling in front of him narrowly escapes it.

Earlier on Tuesday, rescuers found a mobile phone and the motorcycle in the hole which is 20m wide and 20m deep, according to local media.

The man, said to be in his 30s, has yet to be named by authorities.

Kim Chang-seop, head of Gangdong fire station said at an earlier briefing that there were 2,000 tons of soil and water mixed inside the hole.

Authorities have yet to reveal the cause of the sinkhole.

A report recently submitted to the Seoul city government showed that 223 sinkholes occurred in the city in the past decade.