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Giant Sinkhole Eats Texas Town

Residents pack their bags as ravenous hole expands

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted May 9, 2008 3:48 AM CDT

(Newser) – A gigantic sinkhole is gobbling up a small East Texas town, the New York Times reports. The hole—dubbed "Sinkhole de Mayo" by the residents of Daisetta—opened up suddenly, and quickly grew to the size of several football fields, swallowing trees and trucks. Many of the town's thousand residents have already packed their bags. The hole opened when an underground salt dome collapsed, possibly due to increased saltwater from nearby oil drilling.

"This may become stable any day, or it could collapse in six months," said a geologist. “Stopping it is a very difficult thing to do.”

[Images (5)]

[Videos (1)]

A truck falls into a giant sinkhole as a tractor is used to remove other equipment from the site Wednesday, May 7, 2008 in Daisetta, Texas. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Emergency crews monitor a large sinkhole near Daisetta, Texas Wednesday afternoon, May 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Billy Smith II)

Liberty County Sheriff Corporal Hugh Bishop walks near the edge of a massive sinkhole that developed just outside Daisetta, Texas, on Thursday, May 8, 2008. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Sharon Steinmann)

A massive sinkhole near Daisetta, Texas is seen Wednesday afternoon, May 7, 2008. A large sinkhole swallowed up oil field equipment and some vehicles Wednesday in southeastern Texas . (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, James Nielsen)

Emergency crews monitor a large sinkhole near Daisetta, Texas Wednesday afternoon, May 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Billy Smith II)

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Aerial view of the Texas sinkhole. (medstudd26)

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Giant Sinkhole Eats Texas Town