Seven-ton dump truck plummets into giant sinkhole [VIDEO]
A huge sinkhole opened up beneath a Houston Public Works dump truck Wednesday, sending the back of the vehicle plunging into the earth.
A huge sinkhole appeared below a dump truck carrying asphalt in southwest Houston Wednesday, sending the back of the seven-ton vehicle plunging into the earth.
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The Houston Chronicle quotes a spokesman for the city's public works department, who said that the truck was at a road-repair site near Houston's Godwin Park. As it backed up, the road collapsed. No injuries were reported.
According to the spokesman, the sinkhole was caused by a damaged water main. Water is collecting at the bottom of the sinkhole.
Sinkholes are often caused by the underground erosion of salt beds or soluble sedimentary rocks, such as limestone or dolomite. Groundwater flows through these rocks, creating subterranean caverns that can suddenly collapse.
In the past year, large sinkholes have appeared in Guatemala City, Tampa, Fla., Quebec, Milwaukee, and a city in Germany.
Crews successfully managed to retrieve the dump truck from the hole.
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