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School bus narrowly escapes large sinkhole in Toronto, Canada

Joshua Freeman
CP24
Tue, 24 Jan 2017 11:06 UTC
Toronto sinkhole
© Cam Woolley/CP24
The ground nearly swallowed part of a school bus in the city's Harwood neighbourhood Monday after a massive sinkhole opened up in a local road.

The bus was travelling south on Symes Road, just past Hillborn Avenue, when the pavement beneath it suddenly collapsed.

The back of the bus slammed down into the opening sinkhole, but the vehicle luckily had enough momentum to keep from getting lodged. While it escaped the hole, reports from the scene indicate that the rear suspension was shattered and the drive axle was partially dislodged.

The bus eventually came to a stop a few metres away from the sinkhole, where rushing water could be seen gushing through the two-metre-deep opening. Toronto Water is at the scene to assess the situation and police have closed off a section of the road to keep drivers away.

There were no kids onboard at the time. No one was injured.
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Bizarro Earth

Massive fissure discovered in Arizona desert

Anne Stegen
12 News NBC
Tue, 24 Jan 2017 19:23 UTC
Earth fissure
© AZGS/Anne StegenA two-mile-long earth fissure was discovered in southern Pinal County, the Arizona Geological Survey announced Monday.
Pinal County - A large crack in the desert landscape was just charted by the Arizona Geological Survey.

The AZGS announced the discovery Monday after exploring the earth fissure with drone video, which you can see in the video below.

This fissure formed between March 2013 and December 2014. This one is more than half a mile longer than other fissures in the area. The fissure may have grown because of the heavy rains in fall of 2014.

Fissures pose a threat to people off-roading and riding ATVs in the area. Roaming livestock can also fall in and get stuck. Standing near the edge of a fissure can be dangerous because it can suddenly cave in.

The fissure is about 25 miles south of Arizona City, just south of Aries Drive near Sunland Gin Road.
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House

Tennessee couple lose home to large sinkhole

Bill Mitchell
WDEF
Fri, 20 Jan 2017 18:13 UTC
East Brainerd, TN sinkhole
© Cecilia Lanzar
Most of us don't expect to suddenly lose access to our home and belongings because they fell into a sink hole.

But that's what happened to Cecilia Lanzar and her husband who live in East Brainerd last December.

They are now stuck in limbo as their insurance company and engineers figure out what to do next.

Cecilia Lanzar had been hearing "creeking" noises in her home for several weeks, but on December 1 st she never expected to see what was happening that morning.

CECILIA LANZAR, HOMEOWNER "So, I opened the blinds and the deck was tilting." A big sinkhole had opened up almost overnight. She knew that water had been flowing across her lawn from a broken water pump that belongs to Amberleigh Apartments on the hill above her home. And, according to city inspectors it had weakened her lawn .
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Sinkhole threatens to swallow car in Reading, Pennsylvania

Amanda VanAllen
WFMZ 69 News
Wed, 18 Jan 2017 18:08 UTC
Sinkhole in Reading, PA
© WFMZ
A sinkhole opened and a six-inch water main broke Wednesday on Fairmont Avenue, near Bruckman Avenue, in the Reading's Northmont neighborhood.

The hole, estimated to have an opening of about 18 feet long, threatened to swallow a car that was parked on Fairmont, adjacent to the Quadrant corporate office.

"Another employee came flying in the office like, "Oh my God! Your car is almost in the sinkhole," and I was like, 'What? You've gotta be kidding me,'" said Elanie Diana, the owner of the almost-doomed car.

But it was no joke. When Diana got outside, she saw her car holding on by a thread, teetering over the sinkhole.

"Oh my God. It's almost paid for, and now it's gonna end up in a hole," she said.

Soon, a tow truck driver was able to get it out. Diana started her car, and was on her to find a safer place to park.

"It's a major sinkhole, a major water main break here on a 6-inch line," said Ralph Johnson of Reading Public Works.
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Attention

Large sinkhole swallows excavation truck in Georgia, U.S.

Nikita Biryukov
NBC News
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 15:37 UTC
Excavation truck falls into sinkhole
© NBC
An off-duty hydro excavation truck transporting approximately 1,600 gallons of water fell into a large sinkhole in Hall County, Georgia, early Tuesday morning.

The Badger Daylighting truck fell through the parking lot of a mechanic's garage at roughly 7:45 a.m., where it had been since before the start of operating hours of nearby businesses, said Hall County Fire Services Capt. Zachary Brackett.

Authorities are playing it safe and waiting until the hole is graded and checked to remove the truck.

"It being a sinkhole, there is a possibility of the outer walls of the current hole being unstable," Brackett said. "We don't want to cause a further collapse or anything by pulling the truck out
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Another huge sinkhole opens in Pacifica, California


CBS News - Bay Area
Mon, 16 Jan 2017 14:10 UTC
Pacifica sinkhole
© KTVU
A massive sinkhole has shut down a busy intersection in Pacifica, forcing drivers to take detour.

The pavement collapsed on Edgemar Avenue by Highway 1 after a recent round of storms.

The hole is 15-feet deep and 40-feet wide. It is close to a fire station and a church.

Another sinkhole opened up at the same intersection a few months ago but this one is three times bigger.

It is unclear when the repair work will begin.

Comment: To learn more on what's behind the increase in sinkholes, see our SOTT focus article on the topic: Sinkholes: The groundbreaking truth

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Lemon

20-foot sinkhole opens beneath Tampa, Florida citrus truck depot


Fox13
Mon, 16 Jan 2017 17:39 UTC
Tampa sinkhole
© Diana Brooks
The owner of a Polk County citrus operation says a large sinkhole has opened on the property, and he's hoping it looks worse than it really is.

Ellis Hunt, of Hunt Brothers Co-op, says the hole is at the facility's truck loading depot. He does not believe there are any structures at risk, though he has an engineer on site evaluating the scene.

The hole has caused the asphalt to buckle and sink in a roughly 20-foot section of the facility.

No one has been hurt, and Ellis says there has been only "minimal" effects on citrus operations.
Tampa sinkhole
© Diana Brooks
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Van-sized sinkhole opens up in Sheffield, UK city centre

Lee Peace
The Star
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 06:54 UTC
Sheffield sinkhole
© Barrie McAllenSinkhole near Sheffield city centre.
A large sinkhole has opened up outside the Decathlon store in Sheffield.

The crater, which appears to be above an underground stream, is understood to have opened up on Monday evening at around teatime. The sinkhole is in the car park area outside the sports store, and the entire site in Eyre Street was cordoned off yesterday evening.

Eagle-eyed witness Barrie McAllen took this picture above.

A guard at the site said on Monday night it was not known when the shop would reopen but he thought it could be a couple of days. The sinkhole, which appears to be around the size of a van, has been fenced off. None of the surrounding roads are believed to be affected.

This is not the first time a huge sinkhole opened up in Sheffield. In April last year a large hole more than 20ft deep appeared on Hutcliffe Wood Road, which links the suburbs of Woodseats and Millhouses.
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Attention

Massive earth crack opens up in Northern Cape, South Africa


eNCA
Sat, 14 Jan 2017 15:36 UTC
south african sinkhole
© Facebook.com/HendrikvanHunks PhotographyA massive sinkhole has been spotted in the Northern Cape along the R31 between Daniëlskuil and Kuruman.
A massive sinkhole has been spotted in the Northern Cape along the R31 between Daniëlskuil and Kuruman.

The sinkhole is on what appears to be a farm and near the road.

The road between Kuruman and Danielskuil has been closed due to the sinkhole.

Comment: Some other signs of earth 'opening up' in recent times include:

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Attention

50-feet wide, 80-foot deep sinkhole closes car dealership in northeast California

Stephen Roberson
The Union
Sun, 15 Jan 2017 13:23 UTC
Grass Valley, California sinkhole
© Laura Elliot/The Union
Recent storms have challenged Northern California's five-year drought, but Mother Nature has wreaked havoc on roads and property.

The doors were shuttered on Wednesday and Thursday at Liberty Motors, where a huge sinkhole opened near the parking lot behind the dealership and its former building next door, which was recently sold to Tripp's Auto Body. Liberty Motors and Tripp's resides on top of a culvert that failed. The culvert is a tributary to Little Wolf Creek.

While it hasn't been established for certain that weather is to blame, it also isn't the first to open this week. A sinkhole about 15 feet in diameter opened underneath The Stonehouse in Nevada City on Tuesday.

"The exact cause is something we're still trying to determine, but due to it failing, it's created a sinkhole about 80 to 100 feet deep, probably 60-by-50 at the top, so it's a fairly big hole at this point in time," said Tim Kiser, the public works director for the City of Grass Valley.

"At this time, we're trying to secure the site and remove a couple of trees that are in the hole, and then formulate a plan on what we'll do from there. Right now safety is No. 1; keeping this area safe and preventing any further damage."
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