40 Dramatic Photos Of Sinkholes And Giant Craters That Swallowed Homes And Cars Around The World

Sinkholes can occur naturally when an underground cavern collapses, often after heavy rain or flooding. Conversely, they can be caused by drought, as alterations in the water table level can cause chasms.

The craters can also be man-made, resulting from construction works or burst water mains. In this gallery, IBTimes UK looks at sinkholes around the world.

40.

15 February 2018: Rome, Italy

A huge 10-metre (30-foot) wide sinkhole opened up in the Balduina district of Rome, swallowing six cars. No casualties were reported. About 22 families were evacuated by firefighters following the collapse.

39.

8 February 2018: Sydney, Australia

A week earlier, a sinkhole opened up near former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's house in the wealthy Sydney suburb of Point Piper.

A worker inspects a sinkhole that appeared after heavy rain outside a property located near former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's residence in Sydney.

38.

8 November 2016: Fukuoka, Japan

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In November 2016, the world was amazed when Japanese workers took just one week to reopen a road that had collapsed into a massive sinkhole. A five-lane street in the middle of the Japanese city of Fukuoka was swallowed up by a giant sinkhole, measuring around 30 metres (98 feet) wide and 15 metres deep, on 8 November 2016. The road reopened on 15 November after it had been repaired by crews who worked round the clock for a week.

Slide your mouse/finger over this image to see before-and-after photos of the road in Fukuoka.

37.

18 February 2017: Los Angeles, California (USA)

A large 20-foot-deep (6-metre) sinkhole that swallowed two vehicles on North Laurel Canyon Blvd in Los Angeles, is cordoned off.

36.

2 August 2016: Henan, China

Rescuers search for missing people after a giant sinkhole opened up on a road in Zhengzhou, in central China's Henan province.

35.

8 June 2016: Ottawa, Canada

A large portion of Rideau Street in the Canadian city of Ottawa collapsed in a massive sinkhole that caused a gas leak and forced the evacuation of all nearby businesses.

34.

16 September 2015: Hainan, China

A man looks at cars stuck in a sinkhole that occurred in a parking area after heavy rainfall hit Haikou, Hainan province, China.

33.

13 September 2015: Lodève, France

The A75 highway linking Clermont-Ferrand to Beziers in the south of France is closed off after a sinkhole suddenly appeared in the road.

32.

9 September 2015: Gansu, China

Workers look on as a car is stranded in a sinkhole on a street in Lanzhou, Gansu province, China.

31.

6 September 2015: Beijing, China

Onlookers stare at a car that fell into a sinkhole along a street in Beijing, China.

30.

14 August 2015: Manchester, England

A sinkhole appears on Mancunian Way in Manchester after heavy rain.

29.

13 August 2015: Guangdong, China

An enormous sinkhole is seen at a construction site near residential and commercial buildings, in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China. Residents in nearby buildings were evacuated after a second sinkhole occurred at the construction site in two days. One worker was killed as the 300-square-metre area collapsed.

28.

5 June 2015: Colorado, USA

A police vehicle is seen trapped in a large sinkhole in Sheridan, Colorado, USA.

27.

24 March 2015: New Jersey, USA

A car lies at the bottom of a large sinkhole believed to have been caused by an underground water main breaking in Amnboy, New Jersey, USA.

26.

7 January 2015: Guangxi, China

People look at a truck that got stuck in a sinkhole on a road in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.

25.

12 December 2014: Jiangsu, China

A car hangs over the edge of a deep hole on Yunlianghe Road in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China.

24.

27 November 2014: Fujian, China

People try to pull out a car that fell into a hole after a road caved in in Quanzhou, Fujian province, China.

23.

9 November 2014: Yamal Peninsula, Siberia (Russia)

A member of an expedition group stands on the edge of a newly formed crater on the Yamal Peninsula, northern Siberia.

22.

28 September 2014: Simferopol, Crimea (Ukraine)

A car lies in a sinkhole that opened up on a road outside the Crimean capital Simferopol. Six people were reported to have died in the car that fell into the pit.

21.

15 September 2014: Henan, China

People try to push a taxi that got stuck on the edge of a hole after a road collapsed in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China. The city authority said two cave-ins occurred along the street after several days of continuous rain.

20.

5 September 2014: Lahore, Pakistan

Workers pull a truck out of a sinkhole on a road during heavy monsoon rain in Lahore, Pakistan.

19.

14 August 2014: Guangxi, China

Workers look at a truck that fell into a large pit caused by a cave-in on a street in Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.

18.

3 May 2014: Karakum Desert, Turkmenistan

People visit "The Gateway to Hell" – a huge burning gas crater in Turkmenistan's Karakum desert. In 1971 Soviet scientists drilled into an underground cavern and a deep sinkhole formed. Fearing that the crater would emit poisonous gases, they set it alight, thinking that the gas would burn out quickly. But the flames have not gone out in more than 40 years.

17.

6 February 2014: Buckinghamshire, England

Concrete is poured into a 4.5 metre (15 feet) wide sinkhole that swallowed a car on the driveway of a house in Walters Ash, near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England.

16.

27 October 2013: Shaanxi, China

People look at a large sinkhole that opened up on a street in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China, after a water pipe burst underneath it.

15.

5 August 2013: Montreal, Canada

A forklift lies on its side after it was swallowed by a sinkhole on Saint-Catherine Street in Montreal, Canada.

14.

27 July 2013: Shaanxi, China

People look at a tanker after it fell into a large ditch on a road in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China.

13.

3 July 2013: Ohio, USA

Pamela Knox waits to be rescued after a massive sinkhole opened up underneath her car in Toledo, Ohio, USA. Fire officials said a water main burst caused the road to collapse suddenly.

12.

21 May 2013: Guangdong, China

Rescue workers retrieve the body of a victim of a road cave-in in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China.

11.

18 April 2013: Chicago, Illinois (USA)

Workers prepare to pull a truck from a sinkhole that opened up on a residential street in Chicago. The driver was hospitalised after driving into the 15-feet-deep hole while on his way to work. Two other vehicles were also swallowed by the sinkhole.

10.

3 March 2013: Florida, USA

Demolition crews and Hillsborough County Fire Department watch as the house where Jeffrey Bush was swallowed by a sinkhole, is demolished in Seffner, Florida. Rescue workers ended their efforts to recover the body of Bush, who disappeared into the sinkhole that swallowed his bedroom while he slept.

9.

27 May 2012: Shaanxi, China

Workers repair a caved-in portion on a road in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China.

8.

19 July 2011: Guatemala City, Guatemala

A man examines a 12-metre-deep (40 feet) sinkhole that opened up under the bed of a pensioner in Guatemala City. Inocenta del Rosal Hernandez, 65, awoke to a loud noise and found the earth under her bed had imploded, creating a perfect circular pit.

7.

1 November 2010: Thuringia, Germany

An aerial view of a large crater that appeared in the early hours in the central German town of Schmalkalden. A huge hole measuring 30 by 40 metres opened up in the middle of a residential estate.

6.

31 May 2010: Guatemala City, Guatemala

A giant sinkhole in Guatemala City around 65ft (20m) across and 100ft (30m) deep suddenly opened up, swallowing a three-storey factory.

5.

18 July 2009: Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

The remains of a home at the bottom of a huge hole in the village of Nachterstedt. Three residents were missing in the eastern German village after their lakeside home and another building were destroyed when a 350-metre stretch of shoreline gave way.

4.

3 October 2007: San Diego, California (USA)

A massive 200x240 feet section of collapsed road is pictured in the Mount Soledad neighbourhood of La Jolla near San Diego, California. A landslide damaged or destroyed six homes and forced the evacuation of at least 20 others.

3.

25 April 2007: Jiangxi, China

People look at a collapsed section of Shunwai Road in Nanchang, China's Jiangxi province.

2.

30 March 2007: Gallipoli, Italy

Cars lie in a sinkhole, caused when a road which collapsed into an underground cave system, in the southern Italian town of Gallipoli.

1.

30 April 2004: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rescue workers try to remove a car which fell into a flooded hole on Borges de Medeiros avenue in Rio de Janeiro. The driver had left the door open on the passenger side and could only look on as the vehicle sank into the hole. A water mains under the street ruptured overnight, causing the sinkhole.