14 DAY TRIAL // This Tuesday, a 45-year-old woman nearly died after falling into a sinkhole that opened up right under her feet while she was busy hanging a load of laundry out to dry.
The incident occurred in Springvale, a suburb in the city of Melbourne in Australia. The woman only escaped with her life because neighbors heard her cries and alerted authorities.
A very close call
As mentioned, the woman was simply hanging out her washing when the sinkhole opened up with no warning whatsoever right under her feet. Seeing how she was taken quite by surprise, the 45-year-old didn't even get a chance to try and save herself.
The sinkhole that the woman fell into is understood to measure about 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) in depth and 0.6 meters (2 feet) in width. Having reached its bottom, the 45-year-old found herself floating in a pool of water and dirt.
“The woman told us she was hanging washing out in the backyard at about 11:30 a.m. when the ground gave way. She fell with the dirt and mud, dropping about three metres and landing in waist-deep water,” paramedic Stephanie Palamberis told the press in an interview.
Luckily, the 45-year-old's neighbors heard her crying out for help and alerted authorities. Having arrived at the scene of the incident, firefighters used special equipment to rescue the woman. Apparently, it took them about 10 minutes to pull her out of the sinkhole.
The good news is that, by the looks of it, the woman didn't suffer any serious injuries. Then again, chances are that it will take her a while to recover from the scare that she undoubtedly experienced.
A bizarre incident indeed
According to Sky News, specialists and authorities in Melbourne, Australia, are now busy investigating this bizarre incident. For the time being, they cannot say for sure how and why the sinkhole opened up right under the 45-year-old woman.
They say that, until they sort out this mystery and have a look around the area, folks would do well to remain inside rather than venture in their own backyards.
Seeing how it really isn't all that big, this brand new sinkhole in the city of Melbourne in Australia failed to cause any structural damage to surrounding buildings when it opened op. One can only hope that no other such incidents will occur in the days to come.
“This was a very unusual incident. We have door-knocked all residents in the street and advised them to stay indoors until council engineers investigate further,” CFA operations officer Paul Carrigg said in a statement, as cited by ABC News.
