One of my terrible phobias and nightmares - sinkholes. It is a absolute betrayal of trust for the solid earth to collapse under us, on a par with terra firma becoming terra jello during a quake.






By JUAN CARLOS LLORCA, Associated Press Writer

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala - A 330-foot-deep sinkhole killed at least two teenagers as it swallowed about a dozen homes early Friday and forced the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people in a crowded Guatemala City neighborhood. Officials blamed the sinkhole on recent rains and an underground sewage flow from a ruptured main.

The pit emitted foul odors, loud noises and tremors, shaking the surrounding ground. A rush of water could be heard from its depths, and authorities feared it could widen or others could open up.

Rescue operations were on hold until a firefighter, suspended from a cable, could take video and photos above the hole and officials could use the documentation to decide how to proceed.

The dead were identified as Irma and David Soyos, emergency spokesman Juan Carlos Bolanos said. Their bodies were found near the sinkhole, floating in a river of sewage.

Their father, Domingo, was still missing, according to disaster coordinator Hugo Hernandez.


Top Hole

Front Hole

Side Hole

Side 2 - Hole

Soldiers peer into hole.

........................................................




Sinkhole at Winter Park, Florida (1981) that formed catastrophically in the time span of one day. The city of Winter Park stabilized and sealed the sinkhole, converting it into an urban lake. These features occur in what is known as karst topography, which is common in Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Photograph by A. S. Navoy.

.........................................................

Sinkhole - near Sao Paulo Brazil

First body recovered from Brazil's metro tunnel collapse

SAO PAULO: Rescuers early Monday recovered the first body of at least seven victims of a major metro construction site accident in Sao Paulo, fire department officials reported. As many as seven people are believed to have been buried inside a giant sinkhole that opened at a metro construction site in South America's biggest city. Rescuers said they spotted three other victims fatally swallowed by the sinkhole, but did not retrieve the bodies because they deemed it too risky. "There's a danger of more shifting" in the ground, said fire chief Joao dos Santos, head of rescue operations since the sinkhole opened up on Friday. The body recovered was identified as 75-year-old Abigail Rossi de Azevedo, who was swallowed by the sinkhole when passing near the construction site on her way to a medical appointment.

..............................................
XXXXXXXXXXXX

You Tube Video: Sinkhole Opens in Highway; Car Falls In watch video Video Description Car falls into sink hole Personal Message sinkhole opens in highway - car falls in sinkhole. Thanks, worriedamerican

© 2008 YouTube,

Highway Collapses:
..............................



.............................



........................................



Sinkholes swallowing homes:




........................................



........................................



...............................................

Labels: nightmare-lg. sinkhole