courtesy: savesuwanee
(photo used is a stock photo. no photo has been allowed at the sinkhole scene)
A sinkhole in Florida has swallowed a man sleeping in his bed. Attempts at saving him are still underway, but are problematic because the sink hole is fast expanding, placing rescue crews in danger.
One man who had jumped in the sinkhole to try to rescue the sleeping man was not able to find him, and rescue crews had a difficult time pulling him out of the hole.
The sinkhole for now is entirely contained inside the house's perimeter, but authorities do not know how big it will become.
The rescue crews are now expressing doubts that the man will be rescued alive, due to the hole's depth.
The sinkhole first appeared in the house in Brandon, Florida three days ago. Since then there have been no sounds coming from the hole.
MAP OF SINKHOLE INCIDENCE IN THE U.S.
Sinkholes occur when erosion undermines underground layers of the earth causing the catastrophic occurrence. However, most sinkholes start slowly, so that people have some lead time before the worse of it occurs.
In this case however, there was no warning, and that is why this sinkhole is dangerous. Certain Florida areas are particularly vulnerable to erosion, because they are made of limestone or carbonate rock, which are hydrophylic, and are able to absorb and retain water for a certain period of time, until the rocks dissolve and create the caverns that ultimately allow the upper layer to fall downward.
Most sinkholes occur naturally, but mistakes in construction can cause the sinkholes to form too.
partial source : ABC news 3.1.13
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