Watch as an 8ft cesspool swallows a 71-year-old woman walking in her front yard in New York – before two people trying to save her fall in and all three need rescuing
- A 71-year-old woman fell into a hole in the ground that opened in her garden last week, police said
- Police arrived at the scene and found the woman trapped in the hole with two men
This is the moment a 71-year-old woman was swallowed by an 8ft hole in the ground that opened in her front yard in New York – before two other people fell trying to save her.
Police reported that Luz Bedoya fell into the hole that had opened in her front yard around 6am on Thursday 26 January.
When two men tried to save Bedoya, who said she was screaming for help, they too fell into the eight-by-ten-meter hole.
A responding officer pulled one person out with the help of a bystander and the other two were helped with a ladder.
Benjamin Orengo found his wife stuck in the sinkhole and said, “Everyone is fine, thank God […] It could be worse.’
Luz Bedoya, 71, is caught on her doorbell camera before falling into the sinkhole
Bedoya suddenly disappeared into the hole after entering her garden in the dark
The cause of the sinkhole is not known.
Inspectors from the city of Huntington speculate that a water main leak and heavy rain caused the ground to open up.
Luz Bedoya fell into the hole when she entered her garden in the dark.
A doorbell video shows her falling into the hole.
Orengo later found his wife and two others stuck in the hole.
All three were taken to nearby Huntington Hospital for evaluation.
How long they stuck in the hole is unclear.
Benjamin Orengo found his wife in the sinkhole, which he estimated to be about 8 feet deep
Reporting shows the unsafe area cordoned off after victims were helped with a ladder
Sinkholes have many causes.
When water washes away soil underground, spaces can form between rocks.
Changing groundwater gradients can also wash out material from between rocks, leaving open areas prone to collapse.
Cold weather can also cause the ground to freeze and thaw, disrupting the water and soil beneath.
Sometimes sinkholes are caused by multiple factors, such as: B. Drilling, water injection and heavy loads on the surface.