Banks collapse around Florida sinkhole that swallowed homes

LAND O’LAKES, Fla. – Officials in Florida say the banks surrounding a sinkhole that swallowed up two homes last month have unexpectedly collapsed.

Pasco County officials say an 80-foot-by 10-foot (24-meter-by-3-meter)-wide section of the sinkhole’s banks collapsed overnight Friday.

The sinkhole in a suburb of Tampa had been 235 feet (72 metres) wide and 50 feet (15 metres) deep previously.

County spokesman Doug Tobin says officials are reluctant to say the sinkhole is growing wider without a geological survey. He says the banks aren’t considered a part of the sinkhole.

Earth has been brought in to stabilize the banks. Once the edges are stabilized, workers hope to remove debris from the sinkhole.

Besides the two swallowed homes, residents in three other nearby homes were displaced because of the risk.