A minivan was caught on video being swallowed by a sinkhole after heavy rains hit New York City this week, where some residents were left without water after a pipe burst.
The van was swallowed in the Morris Park area of the Bronx on Monday following heavy rain and wind. The sinkhole appears to have been formed “when a sewer beneath it collapsed“ amid the heavy rain, NY1 reported.
According to the National Weather Service, more than two inches of rain fell in the Bronx overnight on Monday. In Manhattan, three inches were recorded.
The inclement weather caused delays at the city’s airports and disruptions on the New York subway.
While weather was initially ruled out as a reason for the sinkhole in Morris Park, the city’s environmental protection department said it was now considering all possible causes for the phenomena.
“The investigation into the root cause of the roadway collapse is ongoing,” Edward Timbers, a spokesman for the department told The New York Times. “The weather certainly could have played a part of it.”
Timber also confirmed that when the minivan was lifted from the sinkhole on Tuesday, “the owner got inside, started it right up and drove off.”
Residents in the area told NY1 that the sinkhole was actually the second to appear on their street after Hurricane Ida caused one to develop in 2021. Many reportedly experienced flooding in their basements again this week.
The DEP told the outlet they’re “scheduling an entire sewage replacement for the neighborhood to help prevent any such occurrence from happening again.”
Although rare in New York, sinkholes are common in places such as Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania, the US Geological Survey (USGS) says.
Sinkholes occur when the land surface cannot be supported because of the amount of groundwater below the surface, which rises during heavy rainfall. These kinds of weather events are associated with a warming climate.
