A woman was forced to abandon her car after it became trapped in a sinkhole in the village of Epperstone in eastern Notinghamshire, England, on Sunday 21 February 2016. Sally Hall was driving through what she thought was a large puddle caused by a blocked overflow drain at about 6.45 am GMT, when her car was sucked into the hole as it opened, causing the interior to flood to over the dashboard. She was able to escape through the passenger side door, though with some difficulty as the water interfered with the electric locking system on the doors, causing them to lock and unlock repeatedly. Nearby residents reported hearing a sound like a small explosion as the sinkhole opened up.
Car trapped in the 21 February 2016 Epperstone sinkhole. Sally Hall/BBC.
Sinkholes
are generally caused by water eroding soft limestone or unconsolidated
deposits from beneath, causing a hole that works its way upwards and
eventually opening spectacularly at the surface. Where there are
unconsolidated deposits at the surface they can infill from the sides,
apparently swallowing objects at the surface, including people, without
trace.
The Epperstone sinkhole once the water had been pumped away. SWNS.
On this occassion investigators from Severn Trent Water have revealed that the sinkhole was caused by a burst water main which washed away sediments beneath the road, causing it to collapse. The event also caused some properties in the village to be flooded, as well as causing water suply problems for neighbouring communities.
A flooded residence in Epperstone on 21 February 2016. James Gunn/BBC.
See also...
Seven-year-old girl swallowed by 8 m sinkhole in Derbyshire, England. A seven-year-old girl has escaped with cuts and bruises after falling
into an 8 m sinkhole near her home in Shuttlewood, Derbyshire. Daisy-Mae
Jones was playing with friends in a field near her home when...
Yorkshire families forced to evacuate home by sinkhole. Three homes were evacuated after a 7.5 m wide sinkhole oppened up in
Rippon, North Yorkshire, on Monday 16 February 2014...
Fifty meter sinkhole opens up in Peak District, Derbyshire. A sinkhole 50 m across and 40 m deep opened up near the village of
Foolow in the Peak District, Derbyshire, England, early in the morning
of Monday 30...
Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.
