Swallowed Up By The Ground: Sinkholes!

Vid at link.

A major sinkhole spread across both sides of a highway in southern Italy today, swallowing up a car along with its passengers in the process.

The hole opened up in the Calabria region after a storm of heavy rains and a mudslide, according to the UK's Channel 4 News. Fortunately, nobody in the car was injured.

But with one side of the hole looking like an underground waterfall while the other, dryer side of the hole is digesting the car, the spectacle makes for some stunning footage. (See video below, posted by ABS-CBN.)

https://boingboing.net/2024/10/21/s...ith-passengers-on-highway-in-italy-video.html
 
Homes evacuated after sinkhole opens in Merthyr Tydfil

Local councillor David Hughes said it was believed a culvert had collapsed
sinkhole.png


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj90ll47g4yo
 
Shady said:
My brother had the council out a few months ago to holes about the size of a fist in the road outside his place, the council said they are sinkholes, not sure if they have done anything yet
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It makes you wonder how many older properties still have soak-aways as (opposed to proper drains) for rainwater.

By culvert I take it to mean drain in the above case, and the estate is relatively modern, so I don't think that is the issue here- but I bet there are thousands of properties that do still have them.
 
Shady said:
My brother had the council out a few months ago to holes about the size of a fist in the road outside his place, the council said they are sinkholes, not sure if they have done anything yet
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Oh my! good wishes to your brother Ma'am!
 
Herr Cloaca said:
Homes evacuated after sinkhole opens in Merthyr Tydfil

Local councillor David Hughes said it was believed a culvert had collapsed
View attachment 84590

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj90ll47g4yo
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This is about 2 miles from me - the residents were given 10 minutes to vacate and are unlikely to be able to return before Xmas. The culvert covers a stream for about quarter of a mile, and it runs under a load of houses and a primary school… the hole is apparently nearly 40ft deep. I’ve seen a couple of pictures where you can just about see the stream at the bottom!
 
Mrs Migs said:
the residents were given 10 minutes to vacate and are unlikely to be able to return before Xmas.
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Oh those poor people! I'd spend the 10 minutes turning round in circles unable to decide what to take bearing in mind the hole might swallow my whole home and life. Are they not being carefully allowed back to collect essentials?
Mrs Migs said:
the hole is apparently nearly 40ft deep.
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Wow!!
 
Here's BBC report on an ominous-looking disappearance.

Search under way for woman believed trapped in sinkhole

Officials in Pennsylvania are searching underground for a woman who is believed to have fallen into a 30-ft (9m) deep sinkhole that may have opened up below her feet as she was searching for her lost cat.

Elizabeth Pollard, 64, was reported missing by family members after she went out to search for the cat on Monday night.

Officials who arrived first to the scene nearly fell into the same hole, which they say is connected to an abandoned coal mine.

Microphones and cameras have been lowered into the hole, but Mrs Pollard has yet to be found. Officials say their cameras spotted what appeared to be a shoe.
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Sollywos said:
Oh those poor people! I'd spend the 10 minutes turning round in circles unable to decide what to take bearing in mind the hole might swallow my whole home and life. Are they not being carefully allowed back to collect essentials?

Wow!!
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Not at the moment. The powers that be are hopeful that people in the houses at the furthest end of the street will be able to go back “soon”. There is now 24 hour security on site to prevent burglaries which was a huge concern for some of the residents. All sorts of information now coming out about the age of the culvert (about 120 years old), a survey done in 2009 that couldn’t be fully completed because it was too dangerous for the surveyors, their recommendations for urgent repairs that may or may not have been carried out. All a bit of a mess!
 
Update: Woman's body found in Pennsylvania mine subsidence/sinkhole after 4 days. She was buried in the rubble of the collapse. This coal mine had closed in the 50s and they had excavated very near the surface, which finally gave way - one of the few unnatural hazards in the state.
 
Very sad. Requiescat in pace.
 
maximus otter said:
She left her 5-year old granddaughter alone in the car, parked feet from a sinkhole in freezing temperatures, while she went looking for her cat.
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The child showed sense and obedience and could be trusted to stay put until rescued. Heaven knows what the cat was up to.
 
maximus otter said:
She left her 5-year old granddaughter alone in the car, parked feet from a sinkhole in freezing temperatures, while she went looking for her cat.

Interesting sense of priorities.

maximus otter
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It is not clear if people knew of the sinkhole.

She very well could have parked the car to go looking and fell in. She did not go far (her car was parked 16 m from the sinkhole) and may not have seen it before falling. The hole size is described as "a manhole sized" hole.

I don't think she abandoned the child intentionally.

From CBC news:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/pennsylvania-sinkhole-womans-remains-found-1.7403506
 
brownmane said:
It is not clear if people knew of the sinkhole.

She very well could have parked the car to go looking and fell in. She did not go far (her car was parked 16 m from the sinkhole) and may not have seen it before falling. The hole size is described as "a manhole sized" hole.

I don't think she abandoned the child intentionally.

From CBC news:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/pennsylvania-sinkhole-womans-remains-found-1.7403506
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From the reports it’s not even clear if there was an existing sinkhole there beforehand or whether it opened up under her unseen, but that’s not going to stop max jumping to a conclusion about stupid 'mercans.
 
Frideswide said:
The child showed sense and obedience and could be trusted to stay put until rescued. Heaven knows what the cat was up to.
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Body of 5-Year-Old Boy Who Wandered Away from His Birthday Party Believed to Have Been Found in Canal​

https://people.com/body-of-5-year-old-boy-who-wandered-off-found-in-nearby-canal-8691712


FLORIDA 5-year-old wanders from playground, dies after he’s found in water, Florida cops say

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article295862644.html#storylink=cpy

Missing 5-year-old child dies after wandering from Clinton Township home in cold weather​

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news...g-from-clinton-township-home-in-cold-weather/

30 seconds’ Internet searching, just 5-year olds, just the USA.

Even disregarding the sinkhole aspect, what she did was neglect. lf l had stumbled upon this incident in my official capacity, the best outcome she could have hoped for would have been that l simply reported her to Social Services.

maximus otter
 
hunck said:
From the reports it’s not even clear if there was an existing sinkhole there beforehand or whether it opened up under her unseen, but that’s not going to stop max jumping to a conclusion about stupid 'mercans.
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There wasn't an obvious "sinkhole" there. The ground caved in under her feet. She was hanging signs for the lost cat. She expected to only be a few minutes. It's a wonder the child was OK. It was very cold and the car was not running. If she had left the car, it could have been a double tragedy.
 
maximus otter said:

Body of 5-Year-Old Boy Who Wandered Away from His Birthday Party Believed to Have Been Found in Canal​

https://people.com/body-of-5-year-old-boy-who-wandered-off-found-in-nearby-canal-8691712


FLORIDA 5-year-old wanders from playground, dies after he’s found in water, Florida cops say

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article295862644.html#storylink=cpy

Missing 5-year-old child dies after wandering from Clinton Township home in cold weather​

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news...g-from-clinton-township-home-in-cold-weather/

30 seconds’ Internet searching, just 5-year olds, just the USA.

Even disregarding the sinkhole aspect, what she did was neglect. lf l had stumbled upon this incident in my official capacity, the best outcome she could have hoped for would have been that l simply reported her to Social Services.

maximus otter
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but this is children in general. That child, as she proved, was sensoble and could be relied on! I don't judge You by the general public after all :twothumbs:
 
Frideswide said:
but this is children in general. That child, as she proved, was sensoble and could be relied on! I don't judge You by the general public after all :twothumbs:
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The report I read was that the car was 6 meters away from where she was so if that is correct would have been in sight all the time. All my life I've been over cautious but I don't see a problem with what she did as far as the kid was concerned.
 
PeteS said:
The report I read was that the car was 6 meters away from where she was so if that is correct would have been in sight all the time. All my life I've been over cautious but I don't see a problem with what she did as far as the kid was concerned.
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Yes. That is correct. My post mistakenly says 16m. She was no further than 20 ft from her car.

I also agree with others about the woman not being neglectful of the child.

The child probably saw her grandmother disappear down the hole. If I saw a person disappear in that manner, it would give me nightmares for life.
 
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