Chilling video of sinkhole swallowing up trees
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It’s the stuff of nightmares. Last weekend, a giant sinkhole swallowed up two dozen trees in a Louisiana bayou, all in a matter of seconds. The sinkhole “burp”, as it is called, was caught on camera by local emergency officials, who published the footage online on Wednesday.
Local authorities in Assumption Parish have been closely monitoring the sinkhole since it was discovered a year ago. It appeared after intense mining activity in the area caused an underground salt dome cavern to collapse.
Video filmed in August 2012, shortly after the sinkhole first appeared.
This situation forced nearby residents to leave their homes and relocate. Many of them are now involved in a class-action lawsuit against a local mining company.
A few weeks ago, emergency managers dropped a weight into the sinkhole to calculate its depth. The weight fell the entire length of the cord it was attached to, which was 750 feet (228 meters) long.