Entire city could be swallowed up by giant sinkhole

A city of 50,000 residents has been placed under a state of emergency as massive karst ravines threaten to destroy thousands of homes.

Authorities in the city of Buriticupu, located in the Brazilian Amazon, announced the measure, warning that about 1,200 people living in the area could lose their homes due to sinkholes.

According to officials, the expansion of these sinkholes, linked to construction work and deforestation, is endangering residential areas.

The municipality stated that sinkholes have been increasing “geometrically over the past few months, coming much closer to residential buildings.”

Buriticupu has been grappling with this problem for 30 years, as heavy rainfall erodes the clay soil, putting homes at risk.

The city’s Secretary of Public Works, engineer Lucas Conceição, admitted that the municipality is unable to find a solution to the issue.

(QG – Source: The Daily Star / Picture: © Unsplash)