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Baltimore sinkhole: Shocking footage shows moment whole street is swallowed

 

Heather Saul
Friday 02 May 2014 10:22 BST
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Shocking footage capturing the moment a sinkhole swallowed cars, walls, pavements and part of a street running along a whole block in Baltimore has emerged.

The video shows the street as it suddenly sinks into the ground, swallowing about a dozen parked cars, while horrified onlookers cry out.

The sinkhole, which occurred after two days of heavy rain in the region, was so large that many people mistook it for a landslide.

There have been no reported injuries from the incident.

The Mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, said emergency services cordoned off the area around 26th Street and train services were suspended because the railway was covered in debris.

Ms Rawlings-Blake said she would examine claims that residents had previously raised concerns about the street.

“We’re extremely blessed that we're talking about property damage and damage to the streets and not any loss of life,” she added.

Some of the properties in the surrounding area date back to the 1890s and are being tested for structural safety.

Storms and flooding that battered the UK earlier this year led to a spate of incidents across the country.

Sinkholes appeared in places including the M2, in High Wycombeand in Hemel Hempstead.

READ MORE:
WHAT ARE SINKHOLES?
SINKHOLES WILL OPEN UP ACROSS BRITAIN

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