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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World

Sinkholes around the world - in pictures

Sinkhole in St Albans
Sinkhole in St Albans Photograph: Herts Fire Control Photograph: Herts Fire Control
Sinkhole: Sinkhole forms under Guatemalan woman's bed
A man inspects a sinkhole formed in a house this week in the north of Guatemala City. When neighbours heard the loud boom overnight they thought a cooking gas canister had detonated Photograph: Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty Images
Sinkholes: 1999, Taichung, Taiwan: A man looks at a quake-opened sinkhole
Taichung, Taiwan, 1999: A man looks at an earthquake-opened sinkhole filled with molasses spilled from nearby storage tanks
Photograph: Toru Yamanaka/AFP/Getty
Sinkholes: 2000, Lighthouse Reef System, Belize
Lighthouse Reef System, Belize, 2000: The Blue Hole is a karst-eroded sinkhole, the result of the repeated collapses of a cave system formed during lower sea level stands
Photograph: Christian Fevrier/bluegreenpic/Rex Features
Sinkholes: 2002, Orlando, US: Emergency personnel stand by a giant sinkhole
Orlando, US, 2002: Emergency personnel stand by a giant sinkhole that opened up inside the Woodhill Apartment complex, forcing dozens of residents to evacuate their apartments
Photograph: Phelan M Ebenhack/AP
Sinkholes: 2006, New York, US: A Ford Explorer sits nose-first inside a sinkhole
New York, US, 2006: A Ford Explorer sits nose-first inside a 15ft by 20ft-wide sinkhole in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn
Photograph: New York Daily News Archive/Getty Images
Sinkholes: La Jolla, US: A massive sinkhole in the Mount Soledad neighbourhood
La Jolla, US, 2007: A massive sinkhole in the Mount Soledad neighbourhood
Photograph: Kent Horner/Getty Images
Sinkholes: 2007, Guatemala City, Guatemala: A giant sinkhole
Guatemala City, Guatemala, 2007: A giant sinkhole, 150 metres deep and 20 metres wide, in the neighbourhood of San Antonio. The sink hole swallowed close to twenty homes and left three people missing
Photograph: Ulises Rodriguez/EPA/Corbis
Sinkholes: 2008, Jordan: A sinkhole near the Ein Gedi Spa
Jordan, 2008: A sinkhole near the Ein Gedi Spa on the shores of the Dead Sea
Photograph: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty
Sinkholes: 2008, Picher, US: John Sparkman is dwarfed as he looks into a sinkhole
Picher, US, 2008: Years of lead and zinc mining turned the town into a superfund site with sinkholes, lead-laced mountains of rock, and tainted water
Photograph: Charlie Riedel/AP
Sinkholes: 2009, Texas, US: The Devil's Sinkhole with people gathered to view bats
Texas, US, 2009: The Devil's Sinkhole, with people gathered to view bats
Photograph: Chris Howes/Wild Places Photogra/Alamy
Sinkholes: 2010, Beijing, China: Workers inspect a sinkhole
Beijing, China, 2010: Workers inspect a sinkhole
Photograph: AFP/Getty
Sinkholes: 2010, Guatemala City, Guatemala: A sinkhole covers a street intersection
Guatemala City, Guatemala, 2010: A sinkhole covers a street intersection after tropical storm Agatha hit the area
Photograph: Moises Castillo/AP
Sinkholes: Oman: The Bimah Sinkhole
Oman: The Bimah Sinkhole, a limestone crater filled with blue-green water, is a popular visitor attraction near Qurayat
Photograph: Dave G Houser/Corbis
Sinkhole gallery: The site of a huge cave in Guangdong Province, China - 28 Jan 2013
Three buildings collapsed after a huge hole appeared in, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China on 28 Jan 2013. There are no casualties from the incident, which was near a metro tunnel construction site Photograph: Imaginechina/Rex Features
Sinkhole: Sinkhole Shenzhen, China, 2013
Shenzhen, China, 2013: workers examine a giant sinkhole. A security guard died after falling into the hole Photograph: Xinhua/Landov/Barcroft Media
Sinkhole: Toledo, Ohio: A car at the bottom of a sinkhole caused by a broken water pi
Toledo, Ohio, 2013: A car at the bottom of a sinkhole caused by a burst water main on 3 July Photograph: Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld/AP
Sinkhole: Nanjing, China: A driver had a lucky escape when he narrowly managed to avo
Nanjing, China, 2013: A driver has a lucky escape as he narrowly avoids plunging into a sinkhole that appeared suddenly in a road on 1 August Photograph: HAP/Quirky China News/Rex Features
Sinkhole: Clermont, Florida: A building sits partially collapsed over a sinkhole at S
Clermont, Florida, 2013: A sinkhole caused this building at Summer Bay resort to partially collapse. The 40-60ft hole opened up on 11 August, but no casualties were reported Photograph: Gerardo Mora/Getty Images
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