by Key Events
Incident Details
Sinkholes can cause significant damage to both drivers and entire neighborhoods, often swallowing vehicles whole. This is exactly what happened in Mexico City over the weekend: a huge cavity opened up under a truck loaded with Jarritos carbonated drinks, leaving the vehicle at the mercy of fate.
Initially, the sinkhole formed under the large truck, leaving it balancing on the edge, half on the road, half in the pit. Local authorities responded quickly and cordoned off the area. Fortunately, they managed to do so in time, as the sinkhole soon expanded, and the truck fell into it, landing on its rear so that only the front edge remained visible from the outside.
Rescue Operation
Reportedly, rescuing the stuck truck took over 20 hours. The efforts required serious equipment: a 40-ton crane, a 20-ton crane, and an excavator, which worked sequentially to lift the damaged vehicle from the muddy pit.
Cause and Consequences
An investigation by local authorities revealed that a 2.44-meter-long concrete water collector under the road had collapsed, which likely contributed to the formation of the sinkhole. After heavy overnight rain, it expanded rapidly, forcing the temporary relocation of at least eight families living nearby.
Although this sinkhole was significant, it is far from the largest ever recorded. For example, in 2016, a huge sinkhole 27 meters wide and 30 meters long formed in the Japanese city of Fukuoka, swallowing a large intersection. And in early 2014, a large sinkhole appeared under part of the Corvette Museum in the USA, seriously damaging several important cars.
New sinkhole in Mexico City: A truck with Jarritos drinks fell into a sinkhole in the Iztapalapa district. The city mayor stated that the incident…
Such cases remind us of the importance of regularly monitoring the condition of infrastructure, especially in cities with active underground hydrology. The rapid response of rescuers in Mexico City prevented potentially greater tragedies, but the incident highlights how natural phenomena combined with man-made factors can lead to unforeseen consequences. City authorities around the world will likely review plans for inspecting underground utilities after such events.
