A massive sinkhole in western Russia has been growing steadily bigger and is threatening nearby village houses and forest.
The hole that emerged in the Russian region of Perm has been expanding ever since it appeared on the site of a collapsing mine.
RT reports: The abyss near the town of Solikamsk dates back to last November, when its surface dimensions were some 20-by-30 meters. In nine months’ time, by the end of August, the crater has reached a stunning 122-by 125-meters wide, The Siberian Times reported on Wednesday.
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Sinkhole near potash mine in Solikamsk has grown to 400ft, is slowly eating up the whole town https://t.co/DaBSVRz48Xpic.twitter.com/9EuEEgNvSi
— Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) September 2, 2015
The sinkhole shows no sign of a slowing appetite, as the collapsing soil keeps sucking up nearby houses. It is estimated to be about 75 meters deep, and can already be seen from space.
It lies in the neighborhood of the Solikamsk-2 mine, which suffered from underground flooding last November, the time when the sinkhole emerged. The mine is owned by the world’s number one potash producer, Uralkali.
The sinkhole Solikamsk (Russia) is getting bigger. Here is comparison Nov 2014 vs Aug 2015 via codeandcommand.c… pic.twitter.com/In0QC0gMt3 — CodeAndCommand (@CodeAndCommand) September 2, 2015
The company, however, blamed a flooding in 1995 that was caused by an earthquake, and promised the owners of the collapsed houses some form of compensation. In the meantime, they are also suspending the operations on the potash mine.
Solikamsk. #Uralkali pic.twitter.com/CbhJAadnLT
— Russian Market (@russian_market) September 3, 2015
