An approximately 100 feet wide and 30 feet-deep sinkhole opened up in an Illinois park on Wednesday, swallowing a light pole in the middle of recreational fields and leaving a gaping, deep hole in its wake.
The terrifying moment was caught on a nearby surveillance camera Wednesday morning as two soccer and football fields opened up around a light pole as smoke billowed at Gordon Moore Park in the city of Alton, located about 18 miles north of St. Louis, Missouri.
The hole, which was caused by an underground mine opened up at 9:18 a.m. but no one was on the field at the time and no one was hurt
Alton Parks and Recreation Director Michael Haynes said the sinkhole emerged due to “a mine collapse deep underground,” adding, “New Frontier Materials is responsible.”
“It looks like something out of a movie, right? It looks like a bomb went off,” Haynes told NBC affiliate KSDK of St. Louis.
A spokesperson for New Frontier Materials, which owns an underground mine, told KSDK: “The impacted area has been secured and will remain off limits for the foreseeable future while inspectors and experts examine the mine and conduct repairs.”
“No one was injured in the incident, which has been reported to officials at the Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA) by applicable regulations. Safety is our top priority. We will work with the city to remediate this issue as quickly and safely as possible to ensure minimal impact on the community.”
Gordon Moore Park is temporarily closed “while the sinkhole investigation is being completed,” Alton Parks and Recreation shared on social media.
Sinkholes occur naturally when groundwater circulates underground and dissolves the rock beneath the surface, according to the United States Geological Survey. They’re fairly common in Florida as the state largely has limestone under the land’s surface.
However, they can also occur as a result of mining, leaky utility lines or the decay of buried material, according to Penn State Extension, which focuses on agronomy and horticulture education.
