Sinkhole in Italy Creates Havoc for Tourists, Locals

Donald Wood
by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:00 PM ET, Wed May 25, 2016

Photo via Imgur

On Wednesday, a water-main break along the Arno River in Florence, Italy, created havoc for tourists and locals as it opened an enormous sinkhole that buried dozens of parked cars.

According to The Associated Press, the 200-yard-long sinkhole was caused by a two-foot-wide water pipe that burst underground early Wednesday morning. Florence firefighters requested that residents living nearby evacuate voluntarily due to the lack of electricity and running water.

Unfortunately, the sinkhole is near the famed Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence, which is a major tourist attraction for visitors looking for authentic Italian sites and some of the best shops in the country.

CP24 shared an image on Twitter of the sinkhole and the cars stuck inside it:

Florence Mayor Dario Nardella said that the pipe bursting-one of the major water conduits in the neighborhood-caused the sinkhole, not a leak from the Arno River. City officials were also trying to determine whether the ground around the sinkhole was sturdy enough to hold the crane needed to remove the cars from the giant hole in the ground.


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