Sinkhole swallows car in St. Louis

ajc.com

Credit: digicomphoto

Credit: digicomphoto

A sinkhole opened on a downtown St. Louis street on Thursday morning, engulfing a car before 7 a.m., according to multiple reports.

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The sinkhole, which is several feet deep, appeared on Sixth Street north of Olive Street and opened under a Toyota Camry, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The car's owners told WTVI they were at a nearby gym when the pit appeared.

“I was a little shaky,” Jordan Westerbergh told the news station. “It’s crazy. I’m just glad we weren’t inside.”

Photos of the sinkhole showed water gushing from a broken pipe. St. Louis city and traffic inspector Greg Prater told KMOV that the 8-inch water main has been broken "for some time" and was previously repaired at least once.

With the help of a crane, authorities were able to get the Camry out of the pit before 9 a.m., according to WTVI.

It was not immediately clear what caused the sinkhole.

No injuries were reported.