'Sinkhole' causes rail chaos

RAIL services between Ledbury, Malvern and Worcester have been halted after a hole appeared in the line at Colwall.

Services this morning were cancelled, leaving hundreds of travellers stranded or scrambling to make alternative arrangements.

According to the London Midland website: "Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or terminated at and started back from Worcester Shrub Hill at short notice.

All stations between Worcester Shrub Hill and Hereford will not be served.

"An estimate for the resumption of normal services will be provided as soon as the problem has been fully assessed."
http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/9779859._Sinkhole__causes_rail_...

Sinkhole opens up in Marion Co.; truck teeters on edge

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — 

Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn

Friday, June 29, 2012
50-Foot Sink Hole in Bay Ridge Swallows Tree Whole

The Brooklyn Eagle has photos of the giant sink hole that opened up on the sidewalk in front of a 92nd St. yesterday.

The paper quotes a resident reported watching in shock as the sink hole literally swallowed a whole tree that stood on the sidewalk and sucked it below ground.

The block of 92nd Street between Third Avenue and Ridge Boulevard is closed as emergency crews deal with the massive crater.

http://mcbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2012/06/50-foot-sink-hole-in-bay-rid...

add on to previous post
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/families-evacuated-due-92nd-s...
11 families flee 50-foot sinkhole in Bay Ridge
fter a massive sink hole opened up on 92nd St. in Bay Ridge, crews set to work repaving the collapsed pavement. Photo by Richie Buttacavoli.
By Paula Katinas
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Eleven families were evacuated from a Bay Ridge apartment building after a sinkhole opened up on the sidewalk in front of a 92nd St. building on Thursday, according to authorities.

The residents were evacuated as a precaution, authorities said. The sinkhole developed in the afternoon on the west side of the sidewalk on 92nd Street near Third Avenue.

“It’s deep. It goes down about 50 feet,” said Capt. Richard DiBlasio, commanding officer of the 68th Precinct.

Emergency crews inspected the area around the sink hole while locals watched. Photo by Nicholas Buttacavoli.Emergency crews inspected the area around the sink hole while locals watched. Photo by Nicholas Buttacavoli.
Adding to the concern was the fact that the sinkhole was located next to a sewer underground, according to DiBlasio.

“It’s hitting a sewer,” he said.

The block of 92nd Street between Third Avenue and Ridge Boulevard was closed to vehicular traffic as emergency crews from the city’s Department of Environmental Protection inspected the sinkhole. The area around the sinkhole was roped off with yellow tape to prevent pedestrians from getting too close.

Buy Now

LARRY MAYER/Gazette Staff

Early morning traffic passes a gaping hole in Broadwater Avenue at Fourth Street West after a water pipe break washed out the roadbed on Monday night.

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_77fb9d68-8cc2-5554-a1...

Sink hole suddenly appears in the back yard and a young child falls into the hole but manages to climb out. 

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/us/2012/07/06/dnt-girl-f...

Sinkhole sucks river in Barili; cordoned off (12th Jul)

Anew sinkhole found in Barili town in southwest Cebu has been cordoned to prevent curious onlookers from accidentally falling in.

Ariel Pucayan, a resident of barangay Nasipit, told Cebu Daily News the sinkhole “swallowed” all the water in a nearby river where residents would bathe and do their laundry.

“Usa ka dumptruck ang iyang gidak-on. Nahurot gud ang tubig, “ said the habal-habal driver who saw the hole past 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

(It was as big as a dump truck. All the water in the river drained in the hole.)....

Source

Massive sinkhole in Florida

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/us/2012/07/15/sot-fl-gia...

Tennessee Pass Leadville Colorado

'Sinkhole' Beneath Colorado Highway Growing, Pieces Of Highway 'Crumbling' And Falling Into It ...

Colorado Sinkhole
The giant sinkhole that opened up alongside Highway 24 near the top of Tennessee Pass on Monday continues to grow. As of Thursday afternoon it had grown to 30 feet by 30 feet and remains 100 feet deep.
On Facebook, CDOT posted some new photos and said they are working on figuring out a plan of action:
Our crews have been working hard on finding a repair solution and we will let you know as soon as one has been found!
CDOT estimates that the repairs to US-24 to take a little over a month and is prepared to offer financial incentives to the right contractor to encourage them to complete the job ahead of schedule. USA Pro Cycling Challenge is expected to pass through the area in about a month and CDOT is hoping to have the project completed before the race. Costs are estimated between $1 and $2 million.
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, pieces of asphalt from the highway have started to crumble and fall into it. The depth of the hole is estimated to be about 100 feet, and since the depths reach so far into the earth, much of the soil was still frozen until very recently -- when the soil thawed, the hole was exposed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/13/sinkhole-near-us-24-is-gr_...

Collapse shuts Devon coastal road video

Old Beer Road has been closed off to the public (Picture: Alex Moorehead)

Just three days after Bob Spalding noticed slight cracks had appeared on Old Beer Road in the Devon coastal town of Seaton, part of the road has totally collapsed.

The road, which is next to the South West Coast path, has been closed "indefinitely" by Devon County Council.

Part of the coast path, which is popular with walkers and gives access to the beach, has also been closed for the public's safety.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/905143-old-beer-road-in-seaton-develops...

One resident spotted hairline cracks in the road, attributed to the inclement weather that has blighted this summer, and returned the next day to find the road had developed a three-foot sinkhole and had been sectioned off. 

The road is said to have collapsed within 48 hours of the cracks first appearing, and now Devon County Council are worried more of Old Beer Road could disappear.

The nearby South West Cost Path for walkers has been diverted away from the closed stretch of tarmac and members of the public have been warned to steer clear of the 'potentially dangerous' road.

Alex Moorehead posted a picture of the chasm on Instagram, alongside the caption: 'That 'crack' I posted here yesterday..... Well......'

He later added: 'Speaking to residents, since I last saw it, the crack has dropped in 3 stages and even had some prats bmx'ing off it.

'It's safe to say, my route to walk to work will change.'

Bob Spalding, who lives in Seaten and uses the road to walk to Beer every day, said he first noticed cracks on Wednesday.

'The next day the cracks were alarmingly worse and you can see by today's photograph what has happened since,' he said.

'Fortunately it's no longer the main road, but is mainly used by local people going to Beer.'

The council said the road had dropped down by approximately one metre

Thanks KM.

Massive sinkhole in Florida

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/us/2012/07/15/sot-fl-gia...

Sinkhole forms in street (Lake County, Jun 17)

A Lake County neighborhood is watching a possible sinkhole closely after it formed in the middle of a residential street.

The hole formed near the corner of Powerhorn Place Drive and Peace Pipe Court in the Regency Hills subdivision on Monday evening.

Some homes were evacuated, but residents were allowed back in late Monday.

At 11 p.m., the hole was about 8 feet across and 12 feet deep.

No homes were in immediate danger.

Source

Gigantic Panama Sinkhole Swallows Garbage Truck (July 18) -

Notable quote: "it looks like sinkholes are going on everywhere! This time in Panama!"

The incident occurred in the parking lot of the Metro pharmacy, located in the neighborhood of Condado del Rey in Panama City. 

Cabin Swallowed by Sinkhole in NWT Canada (July 24) -
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2012/07/24/north-cabin-si...

A Fort Resolution, N.W.T., man said an entire cabin vanished into a massive sinkhole near the community.

Robert Ekinla was driving his ATV when came upon the hole. He had been heading to the cabin, which is used as a survival cabin and is located at a popular picnic spot along the Slave River.

"I got to the last bend and holy moly — there is no cabin. I didn't see the hole yet. All of a sudden, I just seen the top of the roof — big giant hole about about 80 feet by 90 feet," he said.

Along with the cabin, picnic tables, a fence, fire pit, outhouse and some nearby trees sank in as well.

This isn't the first time a cabin has appeared somewhere unusual in the N.W.T. Last week, a cabin was seen floating down the Peel River near Fort McPherson, N.W.T. (that was dislodged from its foundation by high water from heavy rains.)

27.07.12. Crumbling: An aerial view shows the 200-foot hole
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2180067/Roy-Rosalee-Balling...

Huge Sinkhole Opens Up In Brooklyn, New York (Aug 1) -

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/08/01/huge-sinkhole-opens-up-in-ba...

The 20-foot-deep by 20-foot-wide hole, which formed at around 6 p.m., is located between 4th and 5th avenues in Bay Ridge.

The cause of the sinkhole is still unknown and no injuries have been reported.

Emergency crews are on the scene where nearby parked cars may be at risk of going underground.

The Department of Transportation said a large chunk of a street in Bay Ridge collapsed at about 6 p.m. Wednesday, creating a nearly 15-foot by 20-foot hole near 79th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Crews are moving cars from near the hole and assessing whether Con Ed will need to shut down power in the area.

This is the second time this summer a sinkhole has opened up in Bay Ridge. 

On June 28, eleven families were evacuated from their homes in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Thursday evening when a 60-foot sinkhole opened up in front of their buildings, officials said.

They have since been allowed to return to their homes on the 200 block of 92nd Street.

Source

Man dies after falling in sinkhole

Cameras in Taipei caught remarkable footage of the moment a deadly sinkhole opened and swallowed a man.

The man was walking on a sidewalk outside the Temple of Sansha when the ground suddenly collapsed beneath him, according to CNN. Rescuers tried, but were not able to reach the man in time to save his life. His body was recovered hours later.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/02/video-catches-taipei-man-bein...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/raw-video-taiwan-m...

This report of a sink hole was on main stream news feeds on CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/international/2012/08/03...

One-Acre Sinkhole Forms in Louisiana, Bending a 36-Inch Gas Line, Forcing Evacuations and a 4-Mile Closure of Highway (Aug 5) -

http://theadvocate.com/home/3539214-125/sinkhole-forces-bend-gas-pi...

Assumption Parish officials said powerful underground forces unleashed by the formation of an acre-sized swampland sinkhole had bent and shifted an adjacent 36-inch natural gas pipeline, posing an explosion risk to nearby motorists.

As a result, the officials said, they shut down vehicular traffic about 7:30 p.m. Saturday over a four-mile stretch of La. 70 South in Pierre Part and Bayou Corne while the pipeline operator, Crosstex Energy L.P., of Dallas, worked to depressurize the line.

John Boudreaux, director of the parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said the pipeline was not leaking but presented an explosion risk if it would rupture.

Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack noted that two 20-inch natural gas pipelines owned by Acadian Gas run parallel to the Crosstex line and also were at risk from Crosstex’s line.

“If one of them goes, probably all three of them go,” Waguespack said.

He said the Crosstex pipeline has an operating pressure of 800 pounds per square inch.

An evacuation order remained in place Saturday but area residents were not being forced to leave their homes, Waguespack said.

Officials handling the emergency estimated about 350 people occupy about 150 residences in the Bayou Corne community.

Fears that the sinkhole area could expand, shear off nearby wellheads and release flammable materials prompted Friday’s evacuation order by parish officials.

But Assumption Parish President Martin “Marty” Triche said the slurry area had not grown in size as of Saturday evening.

Boudreaux said the decision to close La. 70 — a major east-west corridor — was required because the pipeline crosses under the highway just east of Bayou Corne.

Boudreaux said the compromised section of pipeline stretches about 400 feet in length about a half-mile south of La. 70. The pipeline has bent 16 feet downward and 15 feet to the east toward the sinkhole.

Crosstex spokeswoman Jill McMillan said in an email that company personnel have responded and “their highest priority is to ensure the safety of all involved.”

“As a precautionary measure, Crosstex has isolated and shut down the pipeline,” McMillan wrote. “We’re currently depressurizing the pipeline, and we expect this to be complete by Sunday evening.”

Waguespack said the road closure would extend from La. 69 and La. 70 southwest to Derrick Street in Pierre Part. He said Derrick is the closest point to the pipeline crossing where 18-wheelers can turn around and find a suitable departure route.

He said that while residents have been advised of the risk of remaining, they would be able to continue to access their homes off La. 70 but would not be able to drive into the area where the pipeline crosses under La. 70.

News of the endangered pipeline emerged Saturday afternoon after officials and curious residents had taken airboats down the Crosstex pipeline corridor to get a closer look at the slurry area and take air and soil samples.

The big sinkhole swallowed and toppled trees overnight Thursday, turning the formerly forested patch of swamp into a watery mud flat flecked with bits of green foliage and tree tops peeking out of the dark-brown muck.

Louisiana Department of Natural Resources officials believe a potentially failed salt cavern well owned by Texas Brine Co. LLC, of Houston, could be the cause of the sinkhole, as well as natural gas releases bubbling in Bayou Corne and Grand Bayou for more than two months.

Joe S. Ball Jr., director of DNR’s Injection and Mining Division, said some scientists are suggesting that a large gas bubble belched upward from underground and reached the surface, liquefying the overlying soil and creating the slurry.

Ball said Louisiana Geological Survey officials have called a meeting for 9 a.m. Monday at LSU where geologists and scientists would be able see all the data at one time.

Parish officials also are planning to hold a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church Hall on La. 70 in Pierre Part, a parish government news release says.

Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a statewide emergency Friday and the state Office of Conservation issued its own emergency order Friday directing Texas Brine to evaluate the structural integrity of its salt cavern and to begin remediation efforts in 24 hours.

Sonny Cranch, spokesman for Texas Brine, said the company is committed to working with state and parish authorities to find out what caused the eruption and perform any remediation deemed appropriate.

Cranch said company employees were working on a plan Saturday. He declined to provide details before DNR looked at the document.

While DNR officials have pointed to the cavern as a possible, though not confirmed, cause, Cranch said Texas Brine does not know if the salt cavern is related one way or the other.

“We’re saying, ‘We’re not sure, but we want to find out,’ ” he said.

Cranch said none of Texas Brine’s three brine caverns are used for hydrocarbon storage. DNR officials have speculated that naturally occurring gas could have filled the cavern in question after it was plugged.

The slurry area is on Texas Brine’s 40-acre facility on the south side of La. 70. The sinkhole could be seen Saturday through a patch of cypress trees from the pad of the salt cavern well drawing DNR officials’ attention.

The cavern under that pad, which has a capacity of 20 million barrels, each holding 42 gallons of brine, has been plugged since 2011. It has been out of service for brine production for three years but is filled with brine for structural integrity, Cranch said.

The cavern’s solid salt deposits were dissolved with injected water from the western flank of the Napoleonville Dome and extend from about 3,400 feet deep to 5,650 feet deep.

Texas Brine and other brine producers in the area use the salty mix to supply industry. Texas Brine has been operating in the area since 1973 and began using the well in 1982, DNR officials said.

Cranch said the cavern, which is in roughly the shape of a narrow vase, is overlain by a salt cap 1,000 feet thick. More than 2,400 feet of dirt and rock lie atop the cap. The cavern well extends through this upper layer from the surface to the cavern’s top.

He said the cavern has a diameter of 150 feet at the top and 310 feet at the bottom.

While Cranch said he could not say if the cavern had collapsed — as some residents fear — DNR’s Ball suggested it was not likely, given the amount of earth and salt over the top.

Nancy Malone, American Red Cross spokeswoman, said a shelter at Belle Rose Middle School remained open but no one had used it by Saturday afternoon. She said residents were staying mostly with friends and relatives.

While some residents remained in Bayou Corne and could be seen cutting grass Saturday, many others have left.

Abbie and Jason Hue and their daughter departed after a community meeting Friday when the evacuation order was given, Abbie Hue said.

Abbie Hue, 31, said her family was staying with relatives in Belle Rose, at least until school starts late next week. She said her husband has been checking on their residence.

“He just kind of goes back and forth to check it out,” Abbie Hue said. “I mean it’s our home, you know.”

Photo source

Manitoba Highway Remains Closed Indefinitely Following Massive Sinkhole - (July 4)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/08/07/mb-highway-...

People look on July 4 at a giant sinkhole that had just formed on Highway 83 in western Manitoba. It's not known when the affected stretch of highway will reopen to traffic.

Some people who rely on a western Manitoba highway say they fear it could be a long time before provincial crews fix a massive sinkhole that has closed a section of the road.

A landslide last month caused part of Highway 83 to collapse between Russell and Roblin, Man., creating a sinkhole roughly 200 metres wide.

The section of road has since been closed to the public, and a detour is in place for motorists.

Bill Gade, who owns the 83 North trucking company in Swan River, Man., says provincial highways officials have told him the road likely won't be fixed for another year or two.

"If this was the Number One highway, we'd have crews out there on it now. It isn't, and the reality is the province just doesn't care," he told CBC News.

"If they get it done in a year or two — I would think around about the time of the election — we'll see some movement."

Gade said the province appears to be looking instead at upgrading the detour, which he described as being in terrible condition and adding up to $250 in costs to some of his trucking routes.

Optimism among people living in the area that the highway would be repaired soon has vanished, he added.

"The province hired security to keep people from looking at the hole," he said.

"When that happened, I think that's when people started to realize [that] the priority here wasn't fixing. The priority was damage control."

A provincial government spokesman told CBC News that crews are working as quickly as possible to stabilize the area.

There has been no ground movement around the sinkhole in the past two weeks, and crews are re-establishing surface drainage in an effort to prevent more landslides, the spokesman said.

Crews are also trying to better assess the stability in the area around the road.

Sinkhole closes part of Main Street in Burlington

This sinkhole has closed Main Street at the interesection with South Willard Street in Burlington Friday morning.

Workers are trying to fill a sinkhole on Main Street at the interesection with South Willard Street in Burlington Friday.

The westbound lane of traffic is open, but the eastbound lane is closed. Police advise drivers to seek alternate routes.

Source

Sinkhole Closes State Highway 67

A sinkhole has closed State Highway 67 just north of Cripple Creek.

The sinkhole was discovered at about 10:15 a.m. Saturday. Highway 67 was closed to traffic in both directions because of the hole that opened on the roadway. It measures about two feet wide....

Source

Sinkhole Kills 2 People in China, Infant Child Rescued (August 15) -

A baby is rescued in northeast China after a road collapsed claiming the lives of two people, according to state media.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9477028/Baby-g...

The collapse, which occurred at 4pm local time, opened up a 33-foot deep crater on a street in the city of Harbin, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Emergency services rescued all those trapped after gaining access to the 107 square foot hole via a nearby drainage tunnel.

Two of the victims were later pronounced dead after being taken to hospital but a baby girl survived with only minor grazing to her head.

Infamous Louisiana Sinkhole Swallows More Land, Cleanup Efforts Suspended (August 16) -

http://www.wafb.com/story/19295398/sink-hole-swallows-more-land-wor...

Authorities said a giant sink hole in Louisiana has "eaten" another chunk of land and a boat, but fortunately, two workers were rescued before the boat sunk.

The Assumption Parish Police Jury reported a 50-foot section of property fell into the sink hole in the Bayou Corne/Grand Bayou area during cleanup operations Thursday morning.

The lost land was on the southwest side of the site.

Two workers in a boat were rescued by airboat shortly before their vessel became the latest casualty of the slurry. The boat had been tied to a tree, but it was taken by the sink hole anyway.

Officials said no injuries were reported.        

Cleanup operations at the site have been suspended.

Massive Sinkhole Threatens School in Erwin, Tennessee (August 18) -

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?id=101910

A sinkhole was found early Saturday morning approximately 30 feet from Love Chapel Elementary School.

The hole was around 25 feet across, 60-70 feet deep and continuing to fall in. After about an hour, the hole had grown in depth to approximately 122 feet, with around 10-15 feet of water inside.

Hensley said Terry Haynes, highway chief administrator officer, was called in and began making plans to fill the hole with boulders and other materials, while also putting a dye in the water to track the water flow.

He said access to the area near the sinkhole and the school has been blocked off to the public as emergency personnel and workers survey the scene.

Hensley said a previous sinkhole found a few months back in a swimming pool area on private property was tracked to be 300 feet from the current sinkhole and those involved are investigating the area to determine whether it is a fault.

He said Denise Brown, director of schools for Unicoi County, has canceled school Monday at Love Chapel, is assessing the sinkhole area with officials and will be releasing a statement about how they plan to proceed at a later time.

What causes Hanoi’s sinkhole is still in controversy

On August 20, the hole kept spreading to more than 20m wide, 30m long and 7m deep, causing serious traffic jams on Hanoi’s key role. The hole is very close to the USilk City apartment building, invested by the Song Da Thang Long JS Company.

The hole can continue expanding.

Source

source

Sinkhole could close Ottawa highway for days

Highway 174 eastbound could be closed for days as sinkhole grows to size of 'Olympic pool'

CBC News

Posted: Sep  5, 2012   7:04 AM ET

Last Updated:  Sep  5, 2012  12:27 PM ET

RAW Sinkhole survivor2:46

Ottawa man escaped a highway sinkhole, which has grown to the size of an "Olympic-sized pool", after his car was swallowed during afternoon rush hour yesterday.

Juan Pedro Unger told CBC News he was driving home eastbound on Highway 174 in the east Ottawa community of Orleans when he saw a black patch ahead in his lane near the Jeanne d'Arc Boulevard exit.

This sinkhole swallowed Juan Pedro Unger's four-door sedan as he drove home during rush hour Tuesday in east Ottawa. (Photo courtesy of Ottawa Fire Services)

At first, Unger said, he thought it was a tarp. But when he discovered it was a large hole, it was too late to stop.

"I couldn't make a radical manoeuvre, it could have caused an accident," he said. "I just tried to come to a stop, but I couldn't and it just sunk in."

Unger's silver four-door sedan went nose first into the sinkhole just after 5 p.m. ET Tuesday.

He said there was a large banging sound as the car rattled around in the hole. Only its bumper did not go below the surface.

Fear of car sinking further

Unger hung from his seatbelt and he said he thought of two options — either try to get out, or stay in the car and wait for help.

At first, he feared a bus or car would come along and land on his car. But then he also recognized there was eroding water and pavement beneath him, and he feared the vehicle could sink further.

Juan Pedro Unger feared his vehicle would sink further underground as he sat in his driver's seat in the sinkhole. (CBC)

"There were two big gaps with water flowing into them like a river was forming, and completely pitch black under it," Unger said.

"Those two holes, you couldn't tell how deep they were. They could be a metre, they could be 100 metres."

Unger managed to get his door open and he crawled out, using the door to prop himself up. He began to climb through the hole when two witnesses reached in to help him out.

"It was a huge relief to be out and alive," he said.

Car remains in sewer pipe

The sinkhole will take days, not hours to repair, staff told the city's transportation committee Wednesday. Contractors had begun to assess the sewer pipe Tuesday as part of a $1.5-million repair job.

Staff said workers need to replace the approximately 50-year-old, 3.6-metre-wide sewer pipe that cuts across under the highway. Unger's vehicle also remains 20 metres down in an underground sewer pipe flowing towards the Ottawa River.

Juan Pedro Unger escaped with only minor scrapes and bruises after falling into the sinkhole. (CBC)

The city's environmental services department says there will not be environmental damage caused by the sinkhole or the vehicle. Staff are currently using dikes at the sewer outflow to prevent car contaminants from entering the sewage system.

The eastbound lanes of Highway 174 remain closed between the Blair Road and Jeanne d'Arc exits.

Officials say the closure could last days, or maybe even weeks, for the repair to be completed. Tuesday night's rainfall also made the assessment of the sinkhole more difficult for the excavation company.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/09/05/ottawa-sinkho...

Sinkhole Swallows North Carolina Driver (September 6) -

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/sinkhole-swallows-north-ca...

Law student Rajiv Thairani, 27, was turning around in an empty lot next to a Bojangles chicken outlet in Durham, N.C., near his Duke University campus, when the vehicle he was driving suddenly dropped eight feet into the ground.

Rajiv Thairani, 27, was turning around in an empty lot next to a Bojangles Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits in Durham, N.C., near his Duke University campus, on Tuesday when he struck the sinkhole.

“My initial reaction was that the ground underneath me had given way, like it had collapsed,” Thairani, originally from San Francisco, told ABC News.

The gaping hole wasn’t visible from the street and hadn’t been marked off, but Thairani says he wasn’t the first to encounter it.

“This apparently happened to someone the night before, a truck driver,” he told ABC News. “His tires got stuck but his truck [an 18-wheeler] was too big to go in.

“They called 911 and put up caution tape but by the next day the caution tape had blown away and poles had fallen over so it was no longer visible.”

Three more sinkholes open in Gatineau, Canada

Heavy rain is being blamed for a trio of sinkholes in Gatineau Saturday.

Motorists got out of their cars, peering into a large sinkhole surrounded by metal barricades and orange detour signs at Jacques-Cartier and Saint Antoine streets, taking photos.

Cops received a call at 10:37 a.m., said Gatineau police Lieut. Yves Comtois.

The cause is being determined.

Later in the day, a second sinkhole opened up 2 km north at Saint Antoine St. and Chemin de la Savane, behind the Promenade de l’Outaouais shopping centre.

A broken water main is likely to blame, said Comtois.

Detours were in place.

“They’re not the main roads, but lots of cars go through,” said Comtois.

“It’s pretty commercial.”

From there, a third hole surfaced in a residential area about 5 km east at Magnus Rd. W. & Francois St.

This hole was considerably smaller, said Lieut. Mike Lachapelle.

Meanwhile, work continued on the sinkhole in Ottawa on Hwy. 174 with five pieces of pipe being delivered on Sunday.

Cumberland Coun. Stephen Blais said he’s closely monitoring the work being done — and the accompanying traffic issues.

“I got some very positive feedback on Thursday, and Friday appeared to be the best commute to date,” he said Saturday.

With buses being diverted to the west-bound lane going east, the shoulder of that roadway was paved, but the torrential rain on Saturday played havoc with that work.

“We do some shoulder paving to help facilitate (the buses), but the rain over (Friday) night destabilized it,” he said. “So we’re down a lane (Saturday) and they’re back working on that. Right now, we need to let the contractors do their work so that we’re good to go on Monday.”

Source

Sinkhole swallows tractor in Florida road

Titusville road closed because of sinkhole

http://www.local10.com/news/Sinkhole-swallows-tractor-in-Florida-ro...

A pair of significant water main breaks leaving sinkholes today in both Winnipeg and Montreal, Canada. (Sep 19) -

http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/broken-water-main-floods-homes-in-longue...

"A broken water main flooded more than a dozen homes on Roland-Therrien Blvd. in Longueuil on Wednesday morning.

According to the Longueuil police, the main broke at around 4:38 a.m., sending a spectacular plume of water up from the centre of the otherwise busy street. The torrent along the street was more than 30 cm deep at 7:00 a.m.

“We don’t know what caused this,” said Longueuil spokesman Jacques Tetrault about the broken 30-year-old pipe. “It’s a young street, only 30-years-old, and there was no construction work around. So we have no clue about what happened.”

The water main which cracked on the street was a pipe used to feed water to smaller communities on the south shore surrounding Longueuil—an explanation for the powerful flow of water. While crews from public works, the Longueuil fire department and Hydro Quebec are at the scene, the water was flowing hours after the break.

According to the City of Longueuil, water crews had to slowly divert water away from the main out of fears of breaking other pipes due to a sudden change of pressure. The flow of water was finally stopped almost six hours after the break.

While no evacuation orders were issued, the garages and basements of 15 homes were flooded. The broken pipe left a crater nearly 20 feet across in the road.

Police are asking drivers to avoid the area between Robervale St. and Toulouse St."

and in Winnipeg,

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/09/19/mb-watermai...

"A watermain break left about a dozen homes without water in Winnipeg's North End on Wednesday.

The break, on the 1000 block of Magnus Avenue, happened at about 4 a.m. and filled the street with a shin-deep muddy water.

It also caused a sinkhole to form. City crews were forced to turn off water supply to the homes in the immediate area for several hours."

http://www.examiner.com/article/louisiana-sinkhole-engulfing-entire...

The entire area of the 1-mile by 3-mile Napoleonville Salt Dome is sinking, according to Bayou Corne sinkhole evacuee Harry Boudreaux, speaking to a reporter Saturday morning after a community meeting where he and other area residents hoped..http://www.examiner.com/article/louisiana-sinkhole-engulfing-entire...

Stretch zone.  Water Main break collapses street in Northwest Austin

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/water-main-break-causes-no...

Water main break causes Northwest Austin street collapse

A water main break earlier this morning has shut down a street near the Gateway shopping center in Northwest Austin, officials said.

The water main broke through the pavement on York Boulevard, which is shut down for repairs, Jill Mayfield, Austin Water Utility spokeswoman, said.

“Thankfully this is a short road and there is other access to their buildings,” Mayfield said.

Crews shut off water to stop the runoff, and tenants at Stonebridge Plaza were sent home because one building, along with a nearby Baby Acapulco, does not have water, Mayfield said. Crews are checking the water to surrounding buildings.

“We’re working with our facility managers to see what their status is and let employers know,” Mayfield said.

Crews are repairing the water main, which is expected to take six to eight hours, Mayfield said. Officials do not know how long repairs to the road will take but expect it will take the rest of the day, she said.

“It’s a hole,” Mayfield said. “It’s knocked out some pavement, but we were going to excavate it anyway so that’s fine.”

Gravel and rocks flowed down to the edge of the MoPac this morning, but is not affecting traffic.

Mayfield said she did not know what caused the water main to break, but she does not believe the cold front this weekend affected it.

“Water mains are in the ground and stay a constant temperature,” Mayfield said. “Unless it’s freezing it’s really not an issue.”

Mayfield could not confirm the timeframe of the break, but a resident of an apartment complex with an entrance on York Boulevard said it broke around midnight.

“My daughter was on the patio and she heard a rumble,” Oran Lester said. “She said ‘There’s water going down the street but there’s no rain.’ It was like a raging river.”

Lester said the police responded within 15 minutes of him calling in the break, but he said water continued to flow at 3 a.m. and wasn’t shut off for several hours after police arrived.

Mayfield said Austin Water Utility followed the correct procedures for a water main break.

“When we shut off water we have to be cautious of what we’re doing and who we’re affecting,” Mayfield said.

150ft Wide Sinkhole Opens up in Northwest China, Swallows Pedestrians, Kills 1 (Oct 23) -

http://shanghaiist.com/2012/10/23/watch_150ft_wide_sinkhole_opens_u...

At 8:30 on Tuesday morning, the ground of a vegetable market in Guyuan City of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region suddenly opened up, leaving a hole over 150 feet wide and almost 20 feet deep. According to witnesses, a tricycle with its driver and several pedestrians fell in.

Rescue crews struggled to pull survivors out, even as still gushing water hampered their efforts. A crane had to be brought in to remove the vehicle. In 10 minutes, four were pulled from the wreckage, including a child, but an hour later, the dead body of a woman was discovered.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2221945/Street-cleaner-fall...

That’s what you call a deep-clean! Street cleaner falls through hole in the ground as pavement collapses

• Kelvin London was cleaning the pavement with a sweeping machine when it fell through the pavement
• It tipped on its side as the paving gave way
• One council official suggested the subsoil under the pavement may have washed away
  

By Alex Ward

PUBLISHED: 16:15 GMT, 23 October 2012 | UPDATED: 16:18 GMT, 23 October 2012

A street cleaner fell through a hole in the ground as the pavement beneath it collapsed.

Council worker Kelvin London was shocked when the earth gave way while he was cleaning the pavement in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk this morning.

As big paving slabs gave way, the sweeper tipped on its side.

'Surreal' Flooding Tips Ontario Motel into Sinkhole, Home Into Creek (Oct 26) -

Heavy rain and overflowing creeks and lakes washed away sections of the Trans-Canada Highway north and south of Wawa, Ontario, sent a motel crashing into a sink hole.

The northern Ontario community of 3,000 people declared a state of emergency Friday as it dealt with the washed-out roads, stranded motorists and flooding at Lady Dunn Hospital.

“To see the extent of the damage was just surreal,” said Jordan Veldt, who couldn’t get to work Friday at the Wesdome gold mine because of the highway damage.

A home in Michipicoten Harbour, just northeast of Wawa, was washed into Brient Creek, which flows into Lake Superior, about 2 a.m. Friday.

The man and woman who lived there escaped unharmed. They were retrieved by a Wilderness Helicopters pilot later in the morning after the they waved a red flag on the beach near the lake, said Const. Amanda Huff.

Northern Lights Motel, 5 km north Wawa, “is gone,” said Const. Monique Baker of Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in Sault Ste. Marie.

“It sunk into a sinkhole,” she said.

The 16-room motel, with two chalets, is closed for the season. No injuries were reported.

The Trans-Canada Highway was completely closed north of town at about 8 p.m. Thursday, Const. Huff said, with a pair of washed-out areas to contend with.

Police they don’t know how many motorists have been stranded between flooded areas since Thursday night.

“There’s not much out there,” where the motorists can take refuge, except for their vehicles, she said.

“There are sections of Hwy. 17 (Trans-Canada Highway) that are no longer there. Gone.”

Flooding to the south of the town washed out the highway, too, and that section was closed Friday, as well.

“With the amount of water that has fallen, a lot of the smaller lakes that are higher up that are dammed by beaver dams, those are giving away because of the volume of water that’s pushing against them,” Huff said.

“Normally where you have just a small runoff going through a culvert, these are above capacity for the culverts. That’s what’s causing a lot of the water to erode the road away.”

Hwy. 101 just east of Wawa has reopened, but police caution that, if possible, motorists continue to stay off the roads altogether.

Flooding also knocked out telephone service to approximately 1,000 Bell Canada customers in nearby communities of Godreau, Hawk Junction, Dubreuilville, Missinaubie, Mosher and Oba at about 8 a.m. Friday. 911 service was also down.

To get service back, Bell’s technicians have to get to an area affected by the highway washouts, so there is no timeline when that might happen.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people in the area, and we hope this situation is remedied without lasting harm,” said Premier Dalton McGuinty in a statement.

Sources

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2012/10/26/20311381.html

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/heavy-rains-force-state-of-emergency-i...

See also:

City of Ottawa doesn't know where next sinkhole will spring

HUGE SINKHOLE OPENS UP IN WINDERMERE NEIGHBORHOOD, FLORIDA (NOV 13)

Source

Washington Man Barely Escapes as Car is Swallowed by Sinkhole (Nov 25) -

A man got out of his car just before it fell into a huge sinkhole in the middle of a La Center road early Saturday.

Just before 2 a.m., 47-year-old James Sandvik of La Center was driving down Northeast Charity Road when his car got stuck on the edge of a (large gap) in the road.

Sandvik got out of the car with minor injuries just before it plunged over the edge. The car then washed more than 1000 feet away.

The hole is at the 31000 block of NE Charity road, which connects to Lockwood Creek Road and runs south to Battle Ground. Traffic is detoured three miles and the road is expected to be closed for a long time.

Source

400 Yard Sinkhole Engulfs Ohio Route 516 (Nov 28) -

http://www.wtov9.com/news/news/breaking-news-massive-sinkhole-close...

Emergency crews have been forced to close down an 8-mile stretch along a road in Tuscarawas County because of a massive sinkhole.

The sinkhole is on state Route 516 in the area of Bair Road, about a mile outside of Dover.

Crews shut down the roadway between state Route 39 and state Route 93.

Officials said the sinkhole is 30-feet deep and as long as four football fields, and it's still growing. It takes up about half the roadway.

The sinkhole was discovered around 3 p.m. Wednesday. It exposed a gas line, but officials said the line is not leaking.

San Francisco Sewage Truck Falls Into Haight District Sinkhole

“The Department of Public Works must have had its tail between its legs yesterday afternoon when a street sinkhole nearly swallowed up a sewage truck.

Local blog Haighteration reported on the incident:

A truck got stuck in a sinkhole on Waller Street between Scott and Divisadero this afternoon, and the street is now closed to traffic.

As of 4:30pm, the rear section of the Vac-Con truck was submerged under street level, while a giant crane worked to free the truck from its predicament. It didn’t appear that anyone was hurt in the incident.”

Source  

Update on yesterday's massive sinkhole in Ohio...

http://fox8.com/2012/11/29/massive-sinkhole-draws-amazed-crowds/

State and federal experts were examining the site of a massive sinkhole on Thursday, trying to determine what caused it and how it can be repaired.

The collapse happened along State Highway 516 just west of Dover.  It took the westbound lane of the two-lane highway.

Some estimate the size of the gaping hole as big as several football fields wide.

The site attracted dozens of spectators on Thursday who could hardly describe what they were seeing.

“I’m not sure what to make of it.  I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life,” said Jennifer Smith of Dover, who was there with her young daughter and husband, Jesse, who was worried that the hole might grow even larger.

The collapse happened in a matter of moments at about 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

“It puts chills in your back when you think of what might have happened,” said Terry Biglow of New Philadelphia who came to see the sight.

The nearest resident to the massive hole, Lou Wendling, says he drove over that part of the highway just minutes before the collapse.

Wendling says the road is used by a school bus that makes its rounds about the exact same time as the collapse every afternoon. Workers from the asphalt company turned the bus around.

“It’s a blessing that it happened when it did, not in the middle of the night with people traveling this road after hours and dark, you’d never see that,” said Wendling.

Jeff Gessner of Newton Asphalt gave a statement on Thursday saying, “We are very thankful there were no injuries. We are also proud of our team for taking control of the situation to not put anybody in danger. The cause has yet to be determined.”

Ohio Department of Transportation Spokesperson Becky Giaque told FOX 8 News on Thursday that the road “would probably be closed for quite some time.”

Giaque says that the winter months and other challenges would likely prevent anything from being done until possibly springtime.

“We do not want to give anyone any false hope that it will be reopening any time soon,” said Giaque.  “It’s a big deal and will require a big fix.”

“You’ve got a big factory out at Case Farms and there’s a lot of traffic.  They have two shifts, there are shops are out here, it’s a well-used road,” said Wendling, whose trip into Dover will be rerouted an extra couple of miles.

“This is a main road between Millersburg and back in Dover,” concluded Jesse Smith.  “They need to get it fixed as best they can and get this road back open.”

See also:  Sinkhole the size of four football fields swallows huge swathe of land including highways in just MINUTES... and it's getting bigger

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2241483/Ohio-Sinkhole-size-...

Bus Nearly Swallowed by Sinkhole in Nanjing China (Nov 29) -
At 10.30am on Thursday morning, at the junction of Taiping South Road and Zhongshan East Road, a sinkhole opened and almost consumed a large public bus and the 31-passengers on board. Fortunately the size of the bus caused it to get stuck in the hole, and saved those on board from serious injury.

Source

Aerial photo of massive sinkhole in Ohio

Lafayette: Giant sinkhole collapses road

LAFAYETTE -- A portion of road that collapsed under the siege of weekend storms likely will not be repaired for several months, a city official said Monday.

Heavy stormwater flow ruptured a water pipe and caused a portion of Mountain View Drive, between Crescent Drive and Brook Street, to sink Sunday morning, leaving a gap 80 feet long, 40 feet wide and 15 feet deep, Lafayette City Manager Steven Falk said.

Crews worked to prevent any more damage to water pipes and gas lines that run under the road, Falk said. They also are trying to drain standing water that could further erode the road.

"The priority (Sunday) was to stabilize the water pipes and gas lines, and we did that," Falk said. "The next priority now is to implement a temporary drainage system."

Repair work to the sinkhole continued Monday morning and is expected to be ongoing, Falk said. The road is expected to be closed through the winter, he said.

Nobody was walking on the road when it sank away and no injuries were reported.

Residents near the sinkhole can take alternate routes and have access to Mount Diablo Boulevard, the main road that runs through the downtown area, Falk said.

"We were fortunate, too, in that no private properties were damaged," he added.

Falk said that it appears stormwater ruptured an East Bay Municipal Utility District pipeline that was 12 inches in diameter and the break eroded and undermined the road.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2244111/Family-fears-house-...

the Daily Mail has it dated from the 1st century and mentions another one from October!  So now suddenly they claim that holes are appearing due to caves dug to hide from the invading Danes 2000 years go. lol

Road Collapse and Large Sinkhole Near San Francisco, California (Dec 3) -

Both directions of Vine Hill Road in Santa Cruz are closed at Mile Marker Two near Camino Vista at the upper end of the road.

And in Lafayette, on Mountain View Drive, the road split leaving a gaping sinkhole that is 80 feet long, 40 feet wide and 15 feet deep.

Repair work on the sinkhole continued Monday and could be closed through the winter.

Source

Massive Water Main Rupture in Oklahoma Floods Homes, Prompts Evacuations (Dec 17)

Tulsa, Oklahoma  - At least three businesses and eight homes are flooded out after a massive water main break in the center of Tulsa. The rising water led to widespread evacuations, including a daycare, where inflatable rafts were brought in to help get people out. Public works crews say they were able to shut down the 48-inch water main, though it'll take several hours to re-pressurize water lines and restore service to customers. No word on the damage -- or on how the main broke in the first place.

A water main break on 61st Street at 92nd East Avenue flooded at least three businesses and eight homes and shut down 61st Street in both directions Monday morning.  East 61st Street between South Memorial Drive and South Mingo Road will be closed to traffic until Tuesday evening, while crews work to repair the break.

Tulsa Police and the Tulsa Fire Departments assisted with evacuations because of the rising water.

The fire department had inflatable boats ready to go. They've got a total of 15 boats of different sizes throughout the city. But once the water was shut off, firefighters and police officers were able to carry and walk children out so they could be re-located.

The owner of the daycare said the children were moved to other daycare locations, once it was safe to do so and that daycare will be closed for several days.

"It got up to the door, but, didn't come into the building," said TFD Chief Stan May.

Public Works crews were able to shut down the 48-inch water main and, as soon as the pumping began, the water receded quickly, leaving behind a huge mess of mud clumps and rocks.

The water rose so quickly, it caught people off guard, including the firefighters. A fire truck from the Tulsa Fire Department was stranded in the high water, which was at least two feet deep in places.

"We've had some breaks due to the drought conditions, the ground shifting causing stress on the lines, but, right now, don't know what the cause was," said Clayton Edwards, Director of the water and sewer department.

Woodland Hills Church of Christ took the worst damage. 

The clean up for the church is going to be massive. The pews must be removed, the carpet ripped up and everything cleaned or thrown away.

"[It's] a total mess. There's about an inch of water all over the whole building, said church Elder Wilson Forrest.

The church just went through something like this two years ago and that time it cost $200,000, so they are expecting a similar expense this time. There will be no church service for the time being, with Christmas about a week away.

"It'll be two to three weeks before we can worship again here," Forrest said.

Public Works said no one should be without water and water pressure should be back to normal, because no customers were tied directly to the line that broke. Residents are all on smaller lines.

Mingo Valley Christian School was forced to close because of the break.  Two Tulsa City-County Library locations are also closed Monday due to lack of water.  The Hardesty Regional Library, 8316 East 93^rd Street, and Helmerich Library, 5131 East 91^st Street, are closed for the remainder of the day.  Current plans are to reopen Tuesday.

Sources

http://www.newson6.com/story/20362398/tulsa-water-main-break-floods...

http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/usaupdate/usa121217.shtml

Water Main Break in Portland Maine Floods Roads, Closes Schools (Dec 19)

The entire peninsula of Portland, including the city's downtown, is under a boil-water order because of a water main break. Two public schools are closed and traffic on Somerset Street has been completely shut down.

The water main break Wednesday on Somerset Street, near Whole Foods, flooded the road with water that reached a depth that topped headlights of parked cars.

Now, left behind are a number of questions, like: who's responsible for all of the damage, and are these recent water main breaks a sign of a bigger problem in the two cities? Just over the summer, 6 water mains burst in the span of two weeks.

Sources

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/12/19/news/portland/water-main-brea...

http://www.necn.com/12/19/12/Water-main-break-in-PortlandMaine/land...

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/225331/2/Portland-water-main-brea...