Giant Sinkhole Forces Evacuations

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- One man is feared dead and about 30 families have been evacuated after a giant sinkhole swallowed a stretch of street in Mexico City.<br/><br/>The problem began as a giant crack late

Tuesday, July 10th 2007, 8:00 am

By: News On 6

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- One man is feared dead and about 30 families have been evacuated after a giant sinkhole swallowed a stretch of street in Mexico City.

The problem began as a giant crack late Saturday and rapidly worsened.

Officials say the ground simply collapsed -- swallowing a car, part of a one story brick building and pavement.

A young man who was watching the spectacle also fell in Saturday, and emergency workers are digging with hand tools to try to recover his body.

Fissures from the sinkhole extend outward for about 500 yards, raising the danger of additional sinkholes.

Experts blame the problem on earthquakes, the excessive extraction of ground water and heavy rain.