Swallowed up by the Earth

Sinkhole swallows man in middle of his home

April 24, 2006, 9:37 AM EDT

Associated Press

ALTA, CALIFORNIA -- A large sinkhole opened in the middle of a house, killing a 27-year-old man who plummeted 10 feet and was covered by the rubble, officials said Sunday.

The two-story home, built in the 1980s, might have been sitting atop a decades-old underground mine, authorities said. Recent rains possibly softened the ground under the home, in an isolated area near Lake Alta, northeast of Sacramento.

"It's unbelievable," Placer County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman
Dena Erwin said. "From the front of the house, it's absolutely normal.
Then, in the middle of the house, is this enormous hole."

The victim was on the ground floor about 9:30 p.m. Friday when the
concrete foundation near the kitchen gave way, Erwin said.

The man's wife also was in the house at the time and called 911. She
was uninjured, Erwin said.

Rescuers had trouble reaching him because the ground began to shift,
creating an unsafe situation for work crews.

Authorities declined to release the victim's identity until his body is
recovered.

Copyright (c) 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel