Sinkhole in Mexico 65 Feet Deep Swallows Farmer Fields as Residents Evacuate
JOSE CASTANARES/AFP via Getty
A massive sinkhole has emerged in central Mexico, prompting the evacuation of a local family and leaving their home in jeopardy.
The sinkhole first appeared on Saturday in the Mexican state of Puebla and has rapidly increased in size, growing from about 16 to 197 feet in diameter and stretching 65 feet deep, according to state governor Miguel Barbosa Huerta, CNN reported.
"We think that it might be a combination of two factors: the softening of the field, the whole area was being cultivated, as well as the extraction of groundwater, which softens the subsoil," Beatriz Manrique, Puebla's environmental secretary, said, according to the outlet.
The incident reportedly occurred in a farmers' field and residents of the area were told to evacuate and are urged to keep their distance as security guards the perimeter. As the sinkhole expands, it's now threatening the home of local residents Magdalena and Heriberto Sánchez.
JOSE CASTANARES/AFP via Getty
Personal de esta Coordinación, con @AmbienteGobPue, #CENAPRED y @CNPC_MX, continúa con los estudios técnicos📑 sobre el #Socavón en #Zacatepec, Juan C. Bonilla.
🔹️ Presenta un diámetro de 60 m de ancho por 15 de profundidad.
⚠️ Se exhorta a la población a NO acercarse a la zona pic.twitter.com/2c5I1SVIub— PC Estatal Puebla (@PC_Estatal) June 1, 2021
According to El Sol de México, the couple was home when the incident occurred, comparing the sound to thunder before the sinkhole opened up and they evacuated their home. Now, the couple is worried they might be homeless.
JOSE CASTANARES/AFP via Getty
"At 6 o'clock we heard like thunder and we did not think this was it and then my in-laws realized it and when I got closer, I saw that the earth sank and how the water was bubbling and I panicked," Magdalena told the outlet, according to NBC News.
"The authorities have not told us anything, but we see that our house is close to the sinkhole and we know that if we return, we run many risks of living there," she reportedly continued, noting that they are sad to not be able to return to their home.
Officials from public bodies including the national water commission will investigate the sinkhole, a possibly month-long process that includes soil studies, CNN reported.
