
Courtesy ABC News
A Florida man is trapped under rubble inside a 100-foot-wide, 15-foot-deep
sinkhole that collapsed the bedroom portion of his home overnight, police said.
It is unsafe for rescue crews to conduct a search for the Tampa-area man, 36,
who has not been named, because the sinkhole is continuing to expand, according
to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
The man's brother tried to pull the victim from the hole during the collapse,
ABC affiliate WFTS-TV reported. The first Hillsborough County deputy on that
scene pulled the brother from the still collapsing hole, according to WFTS.
Listening devices and cameras have been placed inside the hole, the
Hillsborough county fire department told ABC News.
There has been no contact with the victim, but Fire and Rescue officials are
not ready to presume him dead.
Unlike most, the sinkhole, which reportedly began around 11 p.m. Thursday,
started inside the man's home, not outside. The family awoke to a surprising
scene as the sinkhole devoured the walls of the home and swallowed up one of the
occupants.
Police evacuated the other residents from the structure, as well as the two
surrounding homes. Officials say the home could go at any moment.