Giant 100ft wide sinkhole appears on football pitch and swallows floodlights and benches

CCTV footage shows the moment when a hole swallowed the light pole and benches for spectators at Gordon Moore Park in Alton, Illinois, USA, Luckily, no one was on the field when the incident occurred.

The hole is estimated to be at least 100 feet wide and up to 50 feet deep. Surrounding roads and the park are now closed, and the mining company reported the hole to the Mine Safety Health Administration.

What is a sinkhole?

A sinkhole is a depression or cavity caused by collapse of the surface layer due to loss of support from below. It usually takes a number of years for a void below the surface layer to form, but in some cases it can happen rapidly. Surface layers can form a bridge that makes it impossible to tell there is a void beneath, but a trigger event - such as heavy rainfall or a change in surface drainage - will eventually lead to collapse.