Trees Slide Into Growing Sinkhole On Brazilian Motorway After Heavy Rains
This is the moment a huge section of road and line of trees slowly slide into a growing sinkhole.
The sinkhole appeared on a stretch of the MG-262 state highway near the city of Mariana in the south-eastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
In the footage, the sinkhole is seen rapidly expanding as the front line of trees slides into the huge hole along with a large section of road.
The incident followed a period of heavy rain that resulted in the city authorities declaring a state of emergency over the weekend.
The central region of the state of Minas Gerais was severely affected by the heavy rains, and across the state, over 120 sections of federal and state roads had to be totally or partially closed.
On Tuesday, the sinkhole appeared on the MG-262 state highway, which links Mariana with the city of Ponte Nova some 70 kilometres away.
The local authorities said the tarmac gave way near the entrance to the district of Furquim
In a video posted on social media, the acting mayor, Juliano Duarte of the centre-left Cidadania party, said a 70-metre stretch of the road was destroyed by the sinkhole.
He added: “We ask that drivers coming to Mariana find alternative routes by passing through the municipality of Acaiaca or the municipality of Diogo (de Vasconcelos).”
The mayor also said that the city council was in contact with the Roads Department about reopening the stretch of motorway as soon as possible.
