OTTAWA — A gaping hole has opened up in a busy downtown thoroughfare just blocks from Parliament Hill.
Police say 911 calls started coming in at mid-morning and they have been blocking off streets surrounding the cave-in at the corner of Rideau St. and Sussex Drive.
The van on Rideau Street is now under water #ottnews #sinkhole pic.twitter.com/l6Gk5WjM2s
— CTV Ottawa (@ctvottawa) June 8, 2016
"You could see the hole developing. When I got up higher, you could look down into the hole and see the water rising in the hole and the street collapsing into the hole,” One witness told.
No injuries have been reported, although a taxi van is believed to have been swallowed up by the sinkhole, which television footage shows was full of water from a broken water main.
The city says nearby buildings have been evacuated because of the smell of gas.
Guys I just saw a car get sucked into the sinkhole #ottawasinkhole #sinkhole #ottawa pic.twitter.com/7YyaHpzudr
— Anne-Sophie Alarie (@_Sophster) June 8, 2016
Water service in the area has been cut and traffic has been re-routed.
The road itself had been limited to bus and taxi traffic only since last summer due to road and subway construction.
Nearby buildings have been evacuated due to the smell of gas. Please follow instructions from building management https://t.co/YYMTGAkYtv
— City of Ottawa (@ottawacity) June 8, 2016
This is the second sinkhole to open up in downtown Ottawa in recent years.
This is the second sinkhole to open up in the downtown in recent years.
In 2014, another road just a few blocks away collapsed. Officials blamed it on unexpected soil conditions encountered during a tunnelling operation.
MORE National ARTICLES
Halifax Officer Makes Cameo In Miley Cyrus Music Video Thanks To HALICOP Meme
A photo of a Const. Shawn Currie sitting on the sidewalk with a busker has captured the hearts and 'likes' of thousands of social-media users
Halifax Officer Makes Cameo In Miley Cyrus Music Video Thanks To HALICOP Meme
Bob Rae Finds Justin Trudeau's Praise For Stephen Harper Hard To Swallow
Bob Rae was caught on video sticking two fingers in his mouth, pretending to gag.
Bob Rae Finds Justin Trudeau's Praise For Stephen Harper Hard To Swallow
Low Loonie Shifting Canadian Travel From U.S. To Other Global Destinations
Canadian travel to the United States hit a six-year low this winter as a weak loonie and lower airfares prompted more residents to visit other international destinations.
Low Loonie Shifting Canadian Travel From U.S. To Other Global Destinations
PM Insists Bill Needs To Pass By June 6, Paul Martin And Bob Rae Don't Agree
WINNIPEG — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is keeping up the pressure on parliamentarians to pass his government's controversial legislation on assisted dying by June 6.
PM Insists Bill Needs To Pass By June 6, Paul Martin And Bob Rae Don't Agree
Conservatives Considering Leadership Bid Take Stock At Party's Convention
VANCOUVER — As former Tory cabinet minister Peter MacKay stood at the entrance to his party's policy convention in Vancouver on Saturday, a fellow party member ambled past.
Conservatives Considering Leadership Bid Take Stock At Party's Convention
GPS Collars To Provide Data On B.C. Bears Saved From Death After Their Mom Died
VANCOUVER — Two orphaned black bears whose lives were spared when a conservation officer refused to kill them are being prepared for release as early as mid-June after nearly a year of rehabilitation at a Vancouver Island facility.