Sinkhole Swallows Mayor In Camper
Authorities Say Water Main Broke
POSTED: 7:50 pm EST March 9, 2005
UPDATED: 8:19 pm EST March 9, 2005
SAN ONOFRE, Ca. - Imagine driving down a dirt road and having a giant sinkhole swallow you and your camper.
That's just what happened to Murphy The Mayor Tuesday night at San Onofre Surf Beach. Murphy got a sinking feeling looking at the huge hole that swallowed his camper, himself and golf clubs. The incident happened just after 5pm. "The road was really muddy and I saw a shadow, what I thought was a shadow or mud, I wasn't really sure, so I slammed on the brakes and next thing I know I am staring at a ton of rock.
Stunned inside the camper, Murphy heard a sound that terrified him. "I heard water starting to run. I knew that was bad so I knew I had to get out. At first I was going to try to sit there and just wait until the rangers came, and then the camper shifted and I was kind of freaking out a little bit and then I decided to try to crawl out. All the dirt that had fallen was all ice still, so I kind of walked around the edge of the mud and try to get some sort of traction. I crawled all the way around to the front of the hole and climbed out." said Murphy.
Park officials believe an 8-inch water main break may have caused the beach to open up and give way. They were looking for the rupture, but The Mayor fell into the hole first. " The sinkhole stretches at least 20-feet wide and it buckled the logs at the Point!" observed an excited local, Kemp R. Rick.
Crews were busy all day Wednesday filling the hole with a sand mixture trying to stabilize the road. Around 1 dozen toilets are still without water. The state hopes to get the road fixed and the water back on by early Thursday.
2 comments:
That should read STINK-HOLE because one of the holding tanks for the toilets had ruptured and was running under ground which opened the hole. It was running into the water at the Point and the beach maybe closed for a couple of weeks before it cleans up enough to allow people to enter the water but, thats OK because the waves have been crap anyhow.
Don't rule out SABOTAGE though!
Post a Comment