The sinkhole or hole that suddenly appeared in the ground that recently appeared in Chile is getting bigger and the cause is still a mystery. Its size is currently estimated at 50 meters wide, enough to accommodate an Olympic standard swimming pool.
As quoted by us from the Independent, the sinkhole appeared near an underground copper mine in Alcaparossa operated by a Canadian company called Lundin Mining. In the hole reaches 200 meters, roughly enough to accommodate two Statues of Liberty.
Chile's National Service of Geology and Mining has launched an investigation but so far, the cause has not been determined. Meanwhile, Lundin Mining stated that the hole, which seemed to be filled with a lot of water, had no impact on the surrounding community or its employees.
"The nearest house is more than 600 meters away from the sinkhole while the crowded areas or public services are almost 1 kilometer from the affected zone," they said in a statement.
David Monetenegro as local researchers said they did not detect any strange material in the large hole, but there was a fairly large quantity of water. "We saw a lot of water below," he said.
Chile's Mining Ministry promised to impose severe sanctions on those found to have caused the big hole to appear. "We will impose sanctions, not just fines," said Mines Minister Marcela Hernando.
Some say that the sinkhole arose due to overexploitation in the mining area. But so far, there is no solid evidence. There are also those who associate it with heavy rains during July in Chile.
