Reuters AlertNet Lite - Hole opens in Guatemala neighborhood, 3 missing

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Hole opens in Guatemala neighborhood, 3 missing

23 Feb 2007 21:40:04 GMT
Source: Reuters

GUATEMALA CITY, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Three people were missing on Friday after a 200-foot-deep (61 meters) hole opened up in the middle of a Guatemalan neighborhood, likely due to a burst sewer pipe.

"It sounded like a bomb was dropping. Boom!" said Carlos Gutierrez, 58, of the crater, which measured 130 feet (40 meters) in diameter.

The crater appeared in the capital's San Antonio neighborhood on Thursday night. Authorities evacuated hundreds of people on Friday fearing more land could collapse into a fast-flowing river of sewage below.

The missing people had lived in a house that fell into the hole. Two bodies showed up about a mile downstream.

Neighbors said the ground had been shaking for weeks after a huge sewer pipe burst, making the ground underneath the houses unstable.

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Last updated:Fri Feb 23 21:40:23 2007