Massive Sinkhole Swallows 20 Cars in Italian Tourist Area

It wasn't exactly the kind a spectacle that visitors were expecting.

ByABC News
May 25, 2016, 11:33 AM

— -- A massive sinkhole opened up on a busy street today in Florence, Italy, swallowing some 20 parked parks, and the jaw-dropping spectacle was captured on video.

The chaos unfolded this morning in the center of Florence along the scenic Arno River, a popular tourist destination, but it probably wasn't the kind of sight that visitors had gone to see.

PHOTO: This 200-meter-long sinkhole created chaos in a Florence, Italy tourist neighborhood on May 25.
This 200-meter-long sinkhole created chaos in a Florence, Italy tourist neighborhood on May 25.

Water gushed onto the roadway after one of the area's major pipes broke, according to local reports. The powerful and steady stream of water quickly tore through the asphalted road, creating a sinkhole about 650 feet long and 23 feet wide. It wasn't the river that overflowed and caused the damage, as it was earlier thought.

Crews evacuated the area as cleanup and investigations got underway. There were no immediate reports of injuries.