Two cars fell into the sinkhole that appeared on Tuesday night. (AFP Photo)
After days of torrential rains triggered by a Pacific storm in the United States, a sinkhole opened up in Los Angeles on Tuesday that swallowed two vehicles, according to a video gaining traction on social media. A mother-daughter duo was also rescued in an operation by the firefighters. The incident was reported at 7.15pm in the 11000 block of Iverson Road, according to a report in ABC7, which led to a rescue operation by at least 50 firefighters. One of the vehicles to be swallowed by 15-feet-deep sinkhole was a pickup truck that landed on top of another car that had already fallen in, as per the news outlet.
Watch the video
Two people were inside each of the two vehicles. While the occupants of the pickup truck were able to escape on their own, the other two had to be rescued.
"The rescue attempt involved bringing ground ladders and laying them down to span the hole so crews could try to reach the victims but this was not successful," the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) said in a statement.
"Meanwhile, the road continued to slough and although firefighters had tried to stabilise the vehicle, it was shifting and starting to roll within the sinkhole. With the entire road compromised, firefighters had to make an immediate rescue to save the lives of the two people trapped," the statement further said.
The firefighters said that the girl and the woman sustained only minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital.
The damage by the storm includes flooded homes and cars in Studio City, collapsing hillsides along Mulholland Drive and downed trees and power lines in many other areas.
