A street sitting above CSX freight railroad tracks in Baltimore, Md., became an afternoon snack for a large sinkhole Wednesday. Along with concrete and a 120-year-old retaining wall, six cars parked on N. 26th St. in Charles Village were swallowed in the landslide. Nineteen homes also had to be evacuated.
The huge sinkhole, caught on camera by onlookers, began to form around 4 p.m. after over four inches of rain had doused the Baltimore area. Residents can be heard on the tape complaining about the city not taking enough action against the potential problem.
Jim Zitzer, a retired engineer who lives on the street, told The Baltimore Sun, “My wife and I haven’t been parking on that side of the street for years because we knew it was going to happen.”
Moreover, City Council President Bernard C. Young says he demanded that CSX Transportation Corp. repair the area’s infrastructure 20 years ago.
“They have to really do a structural survey of all of these overpasses and do something about it before we have another one of these. I’m just so glad nobody got killed,” detailed Young.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake spoke at a news conference following the catastrophe.
“We’re extremely blessed that we’re talking about property damage and damage to the streets and not any loss of life,” she told reporters.
Watch the hair-raising footage below.
