This photo provided by Alton, Ill., shows safety video of a sinkhole that appeared in the upper left corner of center Wednesday in Alton, Ill., football field.
Associated Press/Alton, Illinois.
hide title
Switch title
Associated Press/Alton, Illinois.
ALTON, Ill. — A massive sinkhole engulfed the center of a football stadium built on an operating limestone mine in southern Illinois, destroying a massive light pole and leaving a large crack that left children Play there often. But there were no reports of injuries after the sinkhole opened Wednesday morning.
“No one was there and no one was injured, which is the most important thing,” Alton Mayor David Goins told The (Alton) Dispatch.
Security footage capturing the hole’s sudden formation shows a football field light pole disappearing into the ground along with benches and artificial turf at the city’s Gordon Moore Park.
Michael Haynes, the city’s Parks and Recreation Director, said the hole was estimated to be at least 100 feet wide and up to 50 feet deep.
“It’s so surreal. It’s kind of like a movie where the ground falls out from under you,” Haynes told KMOV-TV.
The park and its surrounding roads are now closed indefinitely.
New Frontier Materials Bluff City said the sinkhole was caused by “surface subsidence” at its urban underground mine along the Mississippi River about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of St. Louis.
Matt Barkett, a company spokesman, said the collapse was reported to the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration as required. He told The Associated Press that the limestone mine is about 170 feet (52 meters) underground and that he understands the mine is beneath the city park where the sinkhole emerged.
“The affected area has been protected and will remain off-limits for the foreseeable future while inspectors and experts inspect the mine and make repairs,” Baskett said in a statement. “We will work with the city as soon as possible to , solve this problem safely.
Haynes said he doesn’t know how the sinkhole will be repaired, but engineers and geologists will likely be involved in determining the stability of the ground and surrounding area.
