A New Jersey sinkhole opened up in the floor of a warehouse in East Rutherford on Monday afternoon swallowing a forklift and its operator. Bronx resident Danny Rodriguez was able to pull himself out of the sinkhole and escape with minor injuries.
Authorities are still trying to determine what caused the floor of the New Jersey warehouse to collapse into a sinkhole. Witnesses told NorthJersey.com that the sinkhole looked to be about 30 to 40 feet wide and 10 feet deep. The witnesses also noticed what they described as a dark liquid filling up the sinkhole.
It was later determined the substance was cooking oil and soy sauce that was stored at the warehouse. Rodriguez had to climb through the oily mess in order to get free from the sinkhole.
NorthJersey.com is also reporting that the warehouse in New Jersey where the sinkhole opened up is not safe for reoccupation. The Building Department is investigating the New Jersey sinkhole.
Sinkholes are a common occurrence in Florida and China as well as other places where there is porous limestone and acidic water in the ground.
In February 2013 a Florida man by the name of Jeff Bush was killed when a sinkhole opened up beneath his bed. Attempts were made by his family and rescue workers to save Bush but the ground was too unstable and he was presumed dead. They never recovered Bush's body.
In China 5 people were killed On Monday night when a sinkhole opened up outside of a park in Shenzhen. Authorities are still investigating the China sinkhole.
According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection a sinkhole is caused by,
"Karst terrain principally from the collapse of surface sediments into underground voids and cavities in the limestone bedrock. When the cavity enlarges to the point that its ceiling can no longer support the weight of overlying sediments, the Earth collapses into the cavity."
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