Giant sinkhole swallows centre of US soccer field built on top of limestone mine
- Fortunately, no one was hurt when the hole, measuring at least 30 metres across and up to 15 metres deep, suddenly opened up
A giant sinkhole has swallowed the centre of a soccer complex that was built over an operating limestone mine in southern Illinois, taking down a large light pole and leaving a gaping chasm where squads of children often play. But no injuries were reported after the sinkhole opened on Wednesday morning.
“No one was on the field at the time and no one was hurt, and that’s the most important thing,” Alton Mayor David Goins told The (Alton) Telegraph.
Security video that captured the hole’s sudden formation shows a soccer field light pole disappearing into the ground, along with benches and artificial turf at the city’s Gordon Moore Park.
The hole is estimated to be at least 30 metres (100 feet) wide and up to 15 metres (50 feet) deep, said Michael Haynes, the city’s parks and recreation director.
“It was surreal. Kind of like a movie where the ground just falls out from underneath you,” Haynes told KMOV-TV.
The park and roads around it are now closed indefinitely.