Giant sinkhole swallows the center of a soccer field built on top of a limestone mine
ALTON, Ill. — A giant sinkhole has swallowed the center of a football complex built above a working limestone mine in southern Illinois. A large light pole has been knocked down, creating a yawning chasm where groups of children often play. But no injuries were reported after the sinkhole opened Wednesday morning.
“There was no one on the field at the time and no one was hurt, and that’s the most important thing,” Alton Mayor David Goins said. The (Alton) Telegraph.
Surveillance video that captured the hole’s sudden formation shows a football field light pole disappearing into the ground, along with benches and artificial grass at the city’s Gordon Moore Park.
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. A bit like a movie where the ground falls out from under you,” Haynes said KMOV TV.
The park and the roads surrounding it are now closed indefinitely.
New Frontier Materials Bluff City said the sinkhole was the result of “surface subsidence” at its underground mine in the city, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) 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 that he understands the limestone mine runs beneath the city park where the sinkhole appeared.
“The affected area has been secured and will remain off-limits for the foreseeable future while inspectors and experts conduct mine investigations and repairs,” Barkett said in a statement. “We will work with the city to resolve this issue as quickly and safely as possible. possible to ensure minimal impact on the community.”
Haynes said he does not know how the sinkhole will be repaired, but that engineers and geologists will most likely be involved in determining the stability of the ground and surrounding areas.