1 Dead After 2 Vehicles Fall Into Water-Filled Texas Sinkhole
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SAN ANTONIO (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Officials have confirmed that the person killed after falling into a San Antonio sinkhole was a Sheriff's deputy. Deputy Dora Linda (Solis) Nishihara was killed and two others hurt after two vehicles fell into a water-filled sinkhole caused by a ruptured sewer line.
San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood says crews worked Monday to recover the body from an upside-down vehicle nearly submerged in 12 feet of water. Hood says the sinkhole that opened Sunday is as wide as two lanes of a street.
We are heartbroken to confirm Deputy Dora Linda (Solis) Nishihara passed away after her car fell into a sinkhole Sunday. pic.twitter.com/fETVaqrrCJ
— Bexar County Sheriff's Office (@BexarCoSheriff) December 5, 2016
Officials say a male driver was rescued from a second vehicle Sunday night. Authorities say a man and a woman passing by stopped to help the trapped motorist. The rescued driver and the woman were treated for minor injuries.
Hood says a crane would be used to remove the two vehicles.
Rain lingered Monday in San Antonio.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey web site, sinkholes can be formed when it "rains over area of ground that has no natural external surface drainage." The site says they "can vary from a few feet to hundreds of acres and from less than 1 to more than 100 feet deep." According to the site, the most damage from sinkholes in the United States tends to occur in Texas, Florida, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.
The sinkhole that killed Deputy Nishihara was formed by a ruptured sewer line according to officials.
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