Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LAND O'LAKES, Fla. (AP) — Officials in Florida say the banks surrounding a sinkhole that swallowed up two homes last month have unexpectedly collapsed.
Pasco County officials say an 80-foot-by 10-foot (24-meter-by-3-meter)-wide section of the sinkhole's banks collapsed overnight Friday.
The sinkhole in a suburb of Tampa had been 235 feet (72 meters) wide and 50 feet (15 meters) deep previously.
County spokesman Doug Tobin says officials are reluctant to say the sinkhole is growing wider without a geological survey. He says the banks aren't considered a part of the sinkhole.
Earth has been brought in to stabilize the banks. Once the edges are stabilized, workers hope to remove debris from the sinkhole.
Besides the two swallowed homes, residents in three other nearby homes were displaced because of the risk.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
