A vast sinkhole swallowed part of a complex of football pitches that had been built over a limestone mine in Illinois.
No injuries were reported when the ground suddenly gave way on Wednesday morning, taking down a floodlight and leaving a 100-foot-wide crater at Gordon Moore Park in Alton, where children usually play.
“No one was on the field at the time and no one was hurt, and that’s the most important thing,” mayor David Goins told The Alton Telegraph, a local newspaper.
Dramatic security camera footage showed the moment when the hole opened up, with the floodlight disappearing into it along with benches and astroturf.
The hole is estimated to be at least 100 feet wide and up to 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,” Mr Haynes told local broadcaster KMOV-TV.
The park and roads around it are now closed indefinitely.
New Frontier Materials Bluff City said the sinkhole resulted from “surface subsidence” at its underground mine in the city, located about 25 miles north of St. Louis along the Mississippi River.
The collapse was reported to the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, as required, company spokesman Matt Barkett said. He told The Associated Press it was his understanding that the limestone mine runs under the city park where the sinkhole appeared.
“The impacted area has been secured and will remain off limits for the foreseeable future while inspectors and experts examine the mine and conduct repairs,” Mr Barkett said in a statement. “We will work with the city to remediate this issue as quickly and safely as possible to ensure minimal impact on the community.”
Mr Haynes said he doesn’t know how the sinkhole will be fixed but that engineers and geologists will most likely be involved in determining the stability of the ground and surrounding areas.
