Beach sinkhole swallows up cars, tents and caravans in Queensland, Australia
Witnesses describe ‘mayhem’ as holiday-makers scrambled to get away
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Campers have described scenes of “mayhem” as a sinkhole the size of a football field opened up on a beach in Australia.
Footage showed tents and caravans floating in the water after the ground gave way at around 11pm on Saturday night near Queensland’s Rainbow Beach.
Police and other emergency services were quickly called to the scene, and around 140 people were evacuated from the MV Beagle Campground on Inskip Point.
Many were warned by a camper who saw the sinkhole and ran through the campsite, banging on caravans and telling people to get out.
“Can’t believe we made it out,” wrote camper Melanie Wotherspoon in a Facebook post, as reported by Channel 7 News.
“I thought we were goners for sure, was truly scary how fast it came into our camp site and swallowed it up,” she said.
One witness, Casey Hughes, told ABC the sinkhole “sounded like thunder” as it opened up, while Sylvia Murray said it was “amazing to see”.
“People were basically on the edge of it with their van, trying to madly get their vans out,” she said.
The three-foot deep hole eventually opened out to a width of around 450 feet, and local officials warned it could yet get bigger.
Ranger Dan Clifton told ABC his team had cordoned the area off and set up warning signs to alert beachgoers. He said: “There is a real possibility the hole could expand with ocean currents, so people are urged to avoid the area.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments