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This sinkhole in Mexico has swallowed a house and 2 dogs. And it’s still growing.

Aerial view of a giant sinkhole on June 09, 2021 in Santa María Zacatepec, Mexico. The house pictured has since been swallowed up by the sinkhole. Farmers of the surroundings have been affected since they are not allowed to enter their fields due to the warning perimeter set up by the authorities. (Photo by Hector Vivas) (Getty Images)

This is a sight that will give anyone a sinking feeling.

Back in May, a farm in Mexico started developing a sinkhole that has since caused the evacuation of a family living in a nearby house, the collapse of that same house and a rescue operation for two dogs that, like the house, were swallowed up in the sinkhole.

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As of this past weekend, the sinkhole -- on farmland in Santa Maria Zacatepec, located in Central Mexico in the state of Puebla -- had grown to 124 meters wide, according to Ary News.

When it first started, the owner of the house that collapsed into the sinkhole, Magdalena Xalamihua, said the family thought the rumblings outside were fireworks, timesnownews.com reported.

It obviously wasn’t fireworks, but the family did manage to evacuate the house before it collapsed into the sinkhole weeks later.

Puebla Mayor Miguel Barbosa has promised the family will get compensated, according to reports.

In addition, two dogs, named Spay and Spike, had to be pulled out of the sinkhole by rescuers after being swallowed up by it.

Reasons for the sinkhole are still unclear, although Beatriz Manrique, the environmental secretary for the region, said softening of the field and the extraction of groundwater that softens the subsoil, may be contributing factors.

Mexico’s civil defense office said the sinkhole might have happened due to an uncovered river, according to timesnownews.com.

CNN and NPR have reported about the situation, as well.

It’s unclear how much the sinkhole will continue to grow, or if government officials can get the situation under control.


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