News

Resort Guests Evacuated As Sinkhole Opens

by Gillian White

Vacationers in Florida got a rude awakening on Monday morning as a sinkhole began to swallow the building where they slept.

Dozens of guests at a resort in central Florida near Disney World were evacuated when two buildings partially collapsed into a sinkhole in the middle of the resort villa. Around 30 percent of the three-story villa collapsed early Monday morning.

Police were called to the Summer Bay Resort, less than 10 miles away from Disney World, when the building began making popping sounds and windows started breaking. No injuries were reported.

The sinkhole — which is about 40 to 50 feet in diameter — may not be finished causing damage. According to authorities it appears as if the sinkhole is growing deeper.

This is the second time in five months that a Florida sinkhole has made the news. In March, a man in Tampa, Florida died when a sinkhole opened up beneath his bedroom.

Sinkholes are actually fairly common in Florida, where acidic groundwater can erode bedrock, causing the ground to cave in.