Sinkhole swallows the center of an Illinois football field

ALTON, Illinois — A giant sinkhole has swallowed the center of a soccer complex that was built over an operating limestone mine in southern Illinois, destroying a large light pole and leaving a chasm where teams of children often play. But no injuries were reported after the hole was opened on Wednesday morning.

“No one was on the field at the time and no one was injured, and that’s the most important thing,” said Alton Mayor David Goins. The Telegraph (Alton).

Security video that captured the sinkhole’s sudden formation shows a football field light pole disappearing into the ground, along with benches and artificial grass in the city’s Gordon Moore Park.

The hole is estimated to be at least 100 feet wide and 50 feet deep, said Michael Haynes, the city’s parks and recreation director.

“It was surreal. It’s like a movie where the floor just falls out from under you,” Haynes said. KMOV-TV.

The park and surrounding roads are closed indefinitely.

New Frontier Materials Bluff City said the hole resulted from “surface sinking” at its underground mine in the city, located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of St. Louis.

The collapse was reported to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration as required, company spokesman Matt Barkett said. He told the Associated Press that the limestone mine is located about 52 feet underground and he knows it runs beneath the city park where the hole appeared.

“The impacted area has been secured and will remain off-limits for the foreseeable future while inspectors and experts examine the mine and carry out repairs,” Barkett said in a statement. “We will work with the city to remediate this issue as quickly and safely as possible. possible to guarantee a minimum impact on the community.”

Haynes said he doesn’t know how the hole will be repaired, but that engineers and geologists will likely be involved in determining the stability of the ground and surrounding areas.