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Truck gets stuck in sinkhole, Wellington, New Zealand

Simon Wong
3news.co.nz
Wed, 26 Mar 2014 13:39 UTC
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Wellington City Council is urging motorists to avoid the southern end of Main Rd in Tawa on their way home tonight as work continues to fix a burst water main.

This morning, police and the fire service were called to the scene at near Oxford St just after 10am after a rubbish truck got stuck in a sinkhole created by a burst pipe.

The vehicle partially blocked one lane and the road was closed to traffic for a time. A tow truck was called to help remove it.

A council spokesman says both lanes of Oxford St are open, but the speed limit has been reduced to 30kmh while workers repair the broken pipe and the road.

Northbound motorists should consider taking the motorway to Porirua then double back to Tawa.

The water supply is gradually being restored to affected areas, but some properties may not have water back until around 5:30pm.

The truck driver said he noticed a bump in the road and as he drove over it, the back wheels sunk into the ground.

The burst water main sent water gushing into the street.
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Sinkhole shuts street down in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Ryan Luby
kob.com
Wed, 26 Mar 2014 12:50 UTC
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A sinkhole on Central Avenue near UNM has shut the street down in the area.

Crews need to fix a broken water main before the busy street can reopen, and the Water Authority is working tirelessly to get things patched up.

Central is shut down between University on the west, and Yale on the east.

The Water Authority says it will remain that way for at least through Tuesday evening. They hope to have one westbound lane and two eastbound lanes open for Wednesday morning's rush hour.

The Water Authority found out about break earlier Tuesday afternoon. Someone spotted a sinkhole that looked like one big, awful pothole. The water crews quickly discovered that a 10-inch steel water main -- beneath the surface of the road -- gave way. That's when they shut down Central in both directions.
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Attention

Earth opening up: 150 Sinkholes in five months in and around Kaski village, Nepal


The Himalayan Times
Mon, 24 Mar 2014 14:44 UTC
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Another sinkhole in Armala, locals terrified

The land cave-in that appeared at Thulibeshi Phant of Armala, Kaski, today morning, has further terrorised locals.

The sinkhole has destroyed Krishna Prasad Paudel's cowshed. According to Paudel, the sinkhole appeared suddenly at 4:00 am today. "We evacuated a buffalo to a safe place. Otherwise, it would have been killed," said Paudel.

After a sinkhole appeared on land deemed safe by locals, they have been terrified.

"My family members did their best to fill the sinkhole with soil, but the cave-in has not stopped, Paudel said.

"The cave-in at the upper portion of the land has taken away our sleep," Parbati Acharya said. "The sinkhole has endangered the entire settlement. Wherever we step, there seems to be a cave-in. How can we save our property?" Acharya wondered.
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Sinkhole closes section of major road in Derry Township, Pennsylvania


wgal.com
Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:21 UTC
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A sinkhole has closed a portion of Route 322 in Derry Township, Dauphin County.

"322 (westbound) is being closed at Hockersville Rd past the Cherry Dr intersection for a sink hole," a tweet from the Derry Township Police Department states.

It's expected that the portion of road will be shut down through rush hour.
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Horse

Horse rescued after getting stuck in 6 foot deep sinkhole, Horsham, UK


The Argus
Mon, 24 Mar 2014 15:06 UTC
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Horse rescued after getting stuck in sink hole for hours
An elderly horse was rescued after getting stuck in a six foot ditch for several hours in Bashurst Hill near Horsham on Saturday.

Firefighters, including four specialist officers, spent four hours yesterday afternoon getting the horse out of the sink hole using winching equipment.

The horse was left in the care of its owner and vet.
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Satellite

NASA proposes using satellites to 'predict' increasing sinkholes


news.com.au
Sat, 22 Mar 2014 22:37 UTC

Texas sinkhole
© Source: APSudden...A massive sinkhole near Daisetta, Texas, which swallowed oil field equipment and vehicles after suddenly appearing in 2008 and then continuing to grow.
RADAR images taken from planes or satellites could some day be used to predict where sinkholes might form.

The possibility of an early-warning system stems from new NASA research into a monstrous sinkhole that opened in Louisiana in 2012, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents.

Two NASA researchers examined radar images of the sinkhole area near Bayou Corne.

Cathleen Jones and Ron Blom discovered that the ground near Bayou Corne began shifting at least a month before the sinkhole formed - as much as 25 centimetres towards where the sinkhole started.

Since its formation, the sinkhole has expanded to 25 acres and is still growing.

The NASA findings raise the possibility that engineers eventually could develop a way to predict the location of sinkholes.
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Blue Planet

Sinkhole in Marion County, West Virginia getting bigger

Rachel McDevitt
WDTV.com
Fri, 21 Mar 2014 19:24 UTC
Marion, WV sinkhole
© unknown
The giant sinkhole that opened up on Pleasant Valley Road near the gateway connector in Fairmont has gotten even worse.

It shut down the road on Thursday, and now crews aren't sure when it can open again. The problem has been lifted out of the hands of the Department of Highways and set into the Department of Environmental Protection.

When the DOH set to work repairing the 20-foot-deep hole, another old mine shaft started collapsing under their equipment and they were forced to stop. The hole on Friday was twice the size it was on Thursday, and it's stretching under the ground in all directions. DOH officials said they've had some problems with mine subsidence before, but never anything like this.
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Sinkhole appears near Flint fire station, Michigan

Dominic Adams
mlive.com
Fri, 21 Mar 2014 13:13 UTC
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© Katie McLean | MLive.com A sink hole is roped off with police tape at 716 West Pierson Road on Friday, March 21, 2014 in Flint
A sinkhole on Flint's north side in near a fire station has exposed gas lines but has not forced the closure of the station.

The sinkhole is west of the Flint fire station six at 716 W. Pierson Road, is adjacent to the entrance and exit for fire trucks, according to City Spokesman Jason Lorenz.

The sinkhole, however, is not stopping fire trucks from going in and out of the station.

"It's more of a hazard to the sidewalk," Lorenz said.

The city has barricaded the area because gas lines are exposed.

City officials haven't closed the station because Chief David Cox Jr. said there is no safety hazard to firefighters, Lorenz said.

Source: The Flint Journal
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Truck becomes stuck in sinkhole in Bronx

Dominic Adams
nbcnewyork.com
Fri, 21 Mar 2014 13:04 UTC
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Crews are working to free a truck from a sinkhole in the Bronx.

The Boar's Head-brand truck got stuck in the sinkhole at Prospect Avenue and Kelly Street in Morrisania Thursday afternoon, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

Crews are on the scene checking the stability of the rest of the street and the water main below the sinkhole.

No injuries have been reported.
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Seven homes evacuated due to sinkhole in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Jeffrey A. Johnson
The Patriot-News
Fri, 21 Mar 2014 11:45 UTC
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© Sean Simmers Workers make repairs at the scene of a water main break in the 1400 block of South 14th Street in Harrisburg, where a resulting sinkhole caused evacuation of seven homes. UGI has shut off service for a two-block area, since gas lines were exposed in the sinkhole. The water shut-off has affected about 45 houses on South 14th Street south of Magnolia Street
Gilbert Akers was asleep in his South 14th Street home Thursday morning when he was awoken by a city police officer knocking at his door.

The officer told him to evacuate, Akers said. That's when Akers peered out his front door and saw the massive sinkhole that had opened in a front yard across the street.

The sinkhole - big enough to swallow a hefty sports utility vehicle - was a sight that made Akers stare in amazement for a few moments.

"I was blown away by it," said Akers, a retired schoolteacher. "They said it happened suddenly and that's what really concerns me."

The sinkhole also stretched out into the middle of the street. It was reportedly caused by a water main break and forced the evacuation of seven homes. UGI shut off gas service in a two-block area, affecting 53 of its customers. Water had also been shut off in the block.

The sinkhole is just the latest to open in the city, which has experienced several similar incidents in recent months due to its aging infrastructure.
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