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Possible sinkhole reported in US backyard

US officials say a possible sinkhole has opened up in a backyard in Florida.

A man observes a sinkhole has swallowed two houses in Dunedin, Fla.
Several homes have been evacuated due to a possible sinkhole that opened in a backyard in Florida. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Several Florida homes have been evacuated due to a possible sinkhole that opened in a backyard in Pinellas County.

Deputy Fire Chief Trip Barrs said the hole appeared to be about four metres wide when officials arrived on the scene.

The Tampa Bay Times reported that the ground is so unstable that two homes must be demolished.

Sinkholes are common in Florida because the peninsula is made up of porous carbonate rocks that store and help move water underground.

Over time, the rocks can dissolve from an acid created from oxygen in water, causing a void under the limestone roof.


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