Alton, IL (AP) – A giant sinkhole has swallowed the center of a soccer complex that was built over an operating limestone mine in southern Illinois, taking down a large light pole and leaving a gaping chasm where squads of kids often play. But no injuries were reported after the sinkhole opened Wednesday morning.
“No one was on the field at the time and no one was hurt, and that’s the most important thing,” Alton Mayor David Goins told The (Alton) Telegraph.
Security video that captured the hole’s sudden formation shows a soccer field light pole disappearing into the ground, along with benches and artificial turf at the city’s Gordon Moore Park.
The hole is estimated to be at least 100 feet (30.5 meters) wide and up to 50 feet (15.2 meters) deep, said Michael Haynes, the city’s parks and recreation director.
The park and roads around it are now closed indefinitely.
