Part of Nebraska city loses power for hours after garbage truck falls in sinkhole

OMAHA, Neb.– Much of downtown Omaha lost power for several hours Thursday after a garbage truck became stuck in a sinkhole that exposed power lines.

The truck became stuck around 8 a.m. with its nose tilted down in the sinkhole and its rear wheels several inches off the ground. Fire officials said the sinkhole is more than 10 feet deep and that several utility lines were exposed when the hole formed at the entrance to an alley.

City Engineer Austin Rowser told television station KETV that officials were concerned about the alley and had set up a barricade to prevent vehicles from driving through. Rowser said the driver of the Waste Management garbage truck moved the barricade to drive through the alley.

Waste Management did not immediately respond to questions about the driver’s actions.

Omaha Public Power District and Metropolitan Utilities District utilities shut off electricity and gas to the area while the situation was investigated.

The Omaha Fire Department said the garbage truck was removed early in the afternoon and power was restored. Natural gas service remained shut off while those lines were checked.