This huge Guatemala crater “is a natural depression caused by the removal of soil by water.
Guatemala, a country in Central America boarded by Mexico to the north and west and rich in bilogically significant and unique ecosystems is currently affected by the Tropical Storm Agatha which kills atleast 142 people and left thousand of families homeless officials said.
Sinkhole in Guatemala 2010
A sinkhole that swallowed a three-storey building in Guatemala City has been blamed on a combination of Tropical Storm Agatha and poor drainage systems. Photograph: Luis Echeverria/AP
Tropical Storm Agatha swept across Central America yesterday, bringing torrential rain that killed more than 100 people and opened a 60m-deep sinkhole in Guatemala City which reportedly swallowed up a three-storey building.
The first named storm of the 2010 Pacific season dumped more than a metre of rain in parts of Guatemala, also hitting El Salvador and Honduras. At least 113 people were reported killed, with around 50 missing in Guatemala alone as rescue workers searched through the rubble.
The 30m-diameter sinkhole opened up in a northern district of Guatemala City, with residents blaming the rains and substandard drainage systems. Local reports said one man was killed when the building was swallowed. In 2007, three people died when a similar sinkhole appeared in the same area.
Sinkhole in Guatemala 2010 Images | Photos