Gold Coast sinkhole: Finnish student wakes up to find her brand new Peugeot swallowed by a huge pothole
- Riina Haapala woke up to find her car in a sinkhole
- The Goudkuststraat had a burst water pipe
A devastated international student studying in Australia is looking for a different set of wheels after a massive sinkhole swallowed her brand new Peugeot.
Riina Haapala lives on the Gold Coast, where she parked her precious silver coupe overnight on Southport’s Short Street, only to wake up Thursday morning to find it soggy and half-buried in the road.
The 21-year-old from Finland was moved to tears as workers towed the car away. She hadn’t had the car long enough to arrange insurance.
“At first I couldn’t really believe what was happening, but after about five minutes I just started crying,” Ms Haapala told Seven News.
The silver-colored two-door Peugeot ended up with its head in the sinkhole that burst open due to broken water pipes
The cause was a ruptured water pipe that had burst on Wednesday night and flooded the road.
During the night, the rushing water dragged the clay away from under the asphalt, causing it to collapse.
“It was quite a shock…I just hope I can get something back from the council,” said Ms. Haapala.
Gold Coast Council services manager Chris Owens said removing the car was dangerous as there was also a power line and gas line under the road.
Tradition teams had to work together throughout Thursday morning until the car was safely pulled out of the huge ditch and towed away.
Footage from the scene shows water pouring out of the car’s engine as it was loaded onto the truck.
Riina Haapala from Finland is studying in Australia and woke up to find her car half buried in the road
Ms Haapala is now looking for a new set of wheels as her coupe is unlikely to be repairable due to the water damage
Gold Coast Council said it is investigating how the water main burst, which could be due to road conditions, building material or the way it was installed.
Parts of the water mains have been cut away and taken for structural testing.
The council has insurance for its assets and is in talks with Ms. Haapala about a solution, including possible compensation, as her current vehicle is unlikely to be repairable.
Crews will remain on site while work is underway to repair the water mains and rebuild the section of road.
The car sank into the hole around 4 a.m. Thursday, splashing muddy water and concrete onto a nearby footpath. City workers towed the car in the middle of the morning