Sinkholes in Samara, Russia

The Russian city being 'eaten alive': Cars, buses, and trucks disappear beneath the earth as they are swallowed by giant sinkholes

• Citizens of Samara live in daily fear of the ground disappearing beneath them
• Dozens of holes have sprung up across the city in recent weeks
• The sinkholes have left a trail of devastation and reportedly claimed one life

Daily Mail,

9 April, 2013

It is believed at least one person has lost their life as a result of one of the crashes caused by the sinkholes.

The citizens of the city have now signed a petition urging authorities to find a solution.

Sinkholes are common hazards in mining regions, plaguing areas where miners have burrowed into layers of soluble minerals and accidental floods have followed.

But natural sinkholes can take thousands of years to form and vary in size.

They are usually the result of what are known as Karst processes, which occur when a layer of rock such as limestone underneath the ground is dissolved by acidic water.

Typically rainfall seeps through the soil, absorbing carbon dioxide and reacting with decaying vegetation. As a result, the water that reaches the soluble rock is acidic.

The acidic water then erodes the soluble rock layers beneath the surface creating cavernous spaces.

Then, when it is no longer supported because of the cavity below, the soil or sand over the limestone collapses into a sinkhole.

The collapse of the surface can happen suddenly or over a few hours. Heavy rainfall or poor drainage systems can trigger a collapse.

Citizens in Berezniki, Russia, have also been plagued by sinkholes.

Census data, though, shows that about 12,000 people left the town between 2005 and 2010, after a number of holes opened up.

They are also common in Florida, America.

Jeff Bush, 37, was swallowed into a sinkhole and killed while he slept in his bed in February in the Tampa Bay area of Florida.