Huge Sinkhole Swallows Car in the Middle of the Night

A massive sinkhole opened up in a road in Australia in the middle of the night, swallowing most of a car.

The hole suddenly formed in Gold Coast on Wednesday at about 4 a.m. local time, causing a parked car to plunge into the maw. It's thought to have been caused by a burst water main under the street, and water could be seen rising inside the hole, local news service 7NEWS reported.

Sinkholes can form underneath roads, or on other land, as moving groundwater beneath the surface carves away a cavity. This can occur naturally, or due to a leak, as may have been the case in Gold Coast.

Sinkholes are usually more common in regions with karst terrain, where the soil is made up of limestone, carbonate rock, or salt beds. Such terrain is more easily dissolved by groundwater, especially if it becomes acidic.

"Sinkholes form in regions where there are many subterranean cavities and the bedrock experiences structural failure," Steve Brenner, a professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Bar Ilan University, Israel, previously told Newsweek.

Sinkholes may also be more common in areas where human activity causes a large amount of groundwater removal from the soil, such as building sites, or in regions where there are many tunnels or mines.

"When these regions are suddenly inundated with massive amounts of water from torrential rainfall or flooding, for example from storms or from broken water mains, the soil layer above the cavities will become saturated, dissolution of the already fractured bedrock may accelerate, and the significant additional weight above the weakened bedrock or cavities will lead to the collapse and opening of the sinkhole," Brenner said.

In the U.S., Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Pennsylvania are more prone to sinkholes due to the makeup of their rock, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Up to 20 percent of the country is thought to be susceptible to sinkholes.

The holes can end up swallowing cars, people and even whole buildings, causing great expense and injury to those involved.

Luckily, nobody was hurt as a result of the Gold Coast sinkhole, and repair works are underway.

"The vehicle has been removed and repairs to the water main are underway,"a City of Gold Coast spokesperson told 7NEWS. "A lane in Short Street has been closed and traffic control arrangements are in place. We advise drivers to avoid the area if possible."

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