Gateway To Hell

[Travis]

I remember as a kid hearing the sky was falling but I never heard the earth under our feet was going to disappear. what is with all these tragedies?  http://www.aolnews.c...a-city/19498396  It looks like a gateway to hell. A 200-foot-deep sinkhole in the north of Guatemala City suddenly opened up in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Agatha, pulling a three-story building and a residential home into the bowels of the earth.The colossal chasm is just the latest sign of the chaos caused by this weekend's wild and violent weather, which killed at least 145 people across Central America. Agatha dumped more than three feet of rain on Guatemala and El Salvador over the weekend, causing rivers to burst their banks and hills to collapse into floods of slurry. The sinkhole, a nearly perfect circular shaft wider than a street intersection, appeared soon after the storm stopped lashing the capital.So far, only one person -- a local security guard -- is thought to have died when the ground gave way. However, according to La Hora, authorities have not yet confirmed any fatalities. Incredible as it may seem, spontaneous sinkholes like this -- known locally as an "hundimiento" -- are a relatively common occurrence in Guatemala. In fact, a sinkhole appeared in almost the same location three years ago.Much of the country sits on top of a vast network of limestone caverns, known as Karst formations. These are caused by groundwater or oversaturated soil seeping below the surface and washing away the fragile limestone. Problems only start to occur on the surface when the water leaves the caverns – which can happen when a storm stops -- as the whittled-out limestone is unable to support the weight of the earth above it, especially if holds high, heavy buildings.According to La Hora, locals believe that a leaky sewage drainage system underground may have already weakened the subsurface rock, exacerbating the size of the sinkhole. Authorities say the chasm was solely caused by the storm, but have pledged to look into the incident.Outside of Guatemala City, Agatha has taken an especially heavy toll. Officials report that at least 120 people are dead across the country and 53 missing. The municipality of Chimaltenango -- some 35 miles west of the capital -- was hit especially hard. Landslides entombed dozens of rural Indian communities, killing at least 60 people, local Gov. Erick de Leon told reporters."The department has collapsed," he told the Associated Press. "There are a lot of dead people. The roads are blocked. The shelters are overflowing. We need water, food, clothes, blankets -- but above all, money."In neighboring El Salvador, meanwhile, more than 170 landslides have been reported and 11,000 people have been evacuated. President Mauricio Funes said that at least nine people are thought to have died.

Edited June 1, 2010 by Mr. Lee
photo added by me because it is worth seeing and amazing IMO.

[softail]

Good grief!!! Mabey the author Jules Vern was right, there is a pathway to the center of the earth!!Doug

[Jake]

Good one Traveler and thank you Lee for displaying the photo. Wow, that is the biggest outhouse I have ever seen. Hopefully, they have emergency power for night time illumination. Jake

[Singers]

I remember as a kid hearing the sky was falling but I never heard the earth under our feet was going to disappear. what is with all these tragedies?http://www.aolnews.c...a-city/19498396 It looks like a gateway to hell. A 200-foot-deep sinkhole in the north of Guatemala City suddenly opened up in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Agatha, pulling a three-story building and a residential home into the bowels of the earth.The colossal chasm is just the latest sign of the chaos caused by this weekend's wild and violent weather, which killed at least 145 people across Central America. Agatha dumped more than three feet of rain on Guatemala and El Salvador over the weekend, causing rivers to burst their banks and hills to collapse into floods of slurry. The sinkhole, a nearly perfect circular shaft wider than a street intersection, appeared soon after the storm stopped lashing the capital.So far, only one person -- a local security guard -- is thought to have died when the ground gave way. However, according to La Hora, authorities have not yet confirmed any fatalities. Incredible as it may seem, spontaneous sinkholes like this -- known locally as an "hundimiento" -- are a relatively common occurrence in Guatemala. In fact, a sinkhole appeared in almost the same location three years ago.Much of the country sits on top of a vast network of limestone caverns, known as Karst formations. These are caused by groundwater or oversaturated soil seeping below the surface and washing away the fragile limestone. Problems only start to occur on the surface when the water leaves the caverns – which can happen when a storm stops -- as the whittled-out limestone is unable to support the weight of the earth above it, especially if holds high, heavy buildings.According to La Hora, locals believe that a leaky sewage drainage system underground may have already weakened the subsurface rock, exacerbating the size of the sinkhole. Authorities say the chasm was solely caused by the storm, but have pledged to look into the incident.Outside of Guatemala City, Agatha has taken an especially heavy toll. Officials report that at least 120 people are dead across the country and 53 missing. The municipality of Chimaltenango -- some 35 miles west of the capital -- was hit especially hard. Landslides entombed dozens of rural Indian communities, killing at least 60 people, local Gov. Erick de Leon told reporters."The department has collapsed," he told the Associated Press. "There are a lot of dead people. The roads are blocked. The shelters are overflowing. We need water, food, clothes, blankets -- but above all, money."In neighboring El Salvador, meanwhile, more than 170 landslides have been reported and 11,000 people have been evacuated. President Mauricio Funes said that at least nine people are thought to have died.

The hole in the picture seems too symmetrical to be true?UK Tom

[Mr Lee]

The hole in the picture seems too symmetrical to be true?UK Tom

Yes that is what I thought too but mother nature can do some amazing things at times so I doubt nothing. 

[Jollygoodfellow]

The hole in the picture seems too symmetrical to be true?UK Tom

Yes that is what I thought too but mother nature can do some amazing things at times so I doubt nothing.

Bit more on the storyExperts investigate giant sinkholeGeologists are investigating what caused a giant sinkhole to open up in Guatemala City, swallowing an entire intersection.The hole is 20 meters across and plunges nearly 30 meters deep.A clothing factory and a house were reportedly lost in the hole, but so far, no deaths have been reported.Geologists say the cause is still a mystery,"I can tell you what it's not: It's not a geological fault, and it's not the product of an earthquake," said David Monterroso, a geophysics engineer at the National Disaster Management Agency. "That's all we know. We're going to have to descend."Crews are waiting for blueprints of the city's drainage system before completing their investigations.Neighbours said a weekend security guard at the factory was spared because he had left to look after his house, which flooded from heavy rain as Tropical Storm Agatha bore down on Central America. The storm has killed at least 179 people.Dozens are still missing, thousands have lost homes and emergency crews are struggling to reach isolated communities cut off by washed-out roads and collapsed bridges caused by Tropical Storm Agatha.Local residents near the sinkhole said it was a miracle no factory workers died."The boys were lucky," resident Honora Oliva said. "They left at six that afternoon, an hour before the earth opened up."Many people living nearby have moved out over fears the hole may expand.In 2007, a similar sinkhole opened up not far from this week's cavern. Three people died and several homes were swallowed. It was blamed on rain and an underground sewage flow.

[Singers]

The hole in the picture seems too symmetrical to be true?UK Tom

Yes that is what I thought too but mother nature can do some amazing things at times so I doubt nothing.

HOLE!!! Got IT...Traveller... IT is that shape so to more easily accommodate the Politicans born in your RED SECTION JOKE UK Tom