Swallowed by the Earth | Daily Mail Online

Swallowed by the Earth: Unfortunate driver’s vehicle vanishes into a sinkhole after he parked in spot that had been built over a well in India

  • Hyundai Venue parked outside of a building in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, vanishes
  • Clip shows four-wheeler sink into hole in ground and disappear in murky water 
  • Officials pumped water from sinkhole and later recovered the four-wheeler 

Terrifying footage has captured the moment a car was swallowed up by a sinkhole in India after a concrete parking space suddenly caved in.

The Hyundai Venue vanished beneath a car park built on top of a reclaimed well in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, on Sunday following days of heavy rain.

A clip filmed by the car’s owner shows the four-wheeler as it sinks into a hole in the ground and plunges into a murky pool of water that had gathered underneath. 

Officials pumped water out of the collapsed parking space in order to locate the car, and were able to lift it out of the sinkhole with an excavator at around 9pm.

‘We removed the water from the well using pumps and after we spotted the vehicle, we lifted it with the help of a crane,’ a statement said.

Pictured: The car

A Hyundai Venue vanished beneath a car park built on top of a reclaimed well in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, on Sunday following days of heavy rain

Dr Kiran Doshi, 67, whose car collapsed into the reclaimed well, told the Indian Express the sinkhole was first spotted at 8.30am by Mahadev Shigwan – who washes the cars of those who live in the Ram Nivas building.

He said: ‘He raised an alarm, after which I rushed to the spot and saw that the car was sinking into the well. Then I shot the video.’

The parking space was built on a well that supplies water to the residents of Ram Nivas. The building was constructed more than 80 years ago.

The private housing society closed off half of the well using RCC (reinforced cement concrete) to utilize the region as a parking slot. 

A clip filmed by the car's owner shows the four-wheeler as it sinks into a hole in the ground and plunges into a murky pool of water that had gathered underneath

A clip filmed by the car’s owner shows the four-wheeler as it sinks into a hole in the ground and plunges into a murky pool of water that had gathered underneath

Officials pumped water out of the collapsed parking space in order to locate the car, and were able to lift it out of the sinkhole with an excavator at around 9pm

Officials pumped water out of the collapsed parking space in order to locate the car, and were able to lift it out of the sinkhole with an excavator at around 9pm

But the slab caved in and swallowed a car, following which the local police reached the spot and initiated an investigation into the matter.

‘Half of the well was covered with the concrete portion, while a part of it was kept open,’ added Dr Doshi.

‘Everyone parks cars there, and this is the first time that a portion of it caved in.’

Senior Police Inspector Nagraj Manjre said: ‘We think that the concrete structure weakened over the years and heavy rainfall led to the incident.’