A sinkhole swallowed bleachers, a light pole and 100 feet of soccer fields at Gordon Moore Park in Alton, Illinois, on Wednesday.
Surveillance video showed the moment the sinkhole opened up and an area where benched players would sit during games disappeared beneath the earth.
“I can’t imagine if there were a bunch of people out here," said Michael Haynes, the director of Alton’s Parks and Recreation Department. "We’re fortunate.”
Mayor David Goins said no one was hurt in the collapse at Gordon Moore Park, and that Alton Parks and Recreation Director Michael Haynes was at the scene to assess the damage.
“We’re waiting to hear back from the mine and see what the geologists and the engineers have to say about it," Haynes said. "We’ll follow their lead on where to go from here. They can determined what happened, why it happened, how to prevent it, and how we fix what has happened here.”
Haynes said the hole is approximately 100-feet wide and 30-feet deep. No one was using the field at the time of the collapse.
"The impacted area has been secured and will remain off limits for the foreseeable future while inspectors and experts examine the mine and conduct repairs," the New Frontier Materials representative said. "No one was injured in the incident, which has been reported to officials at the Mine Safety Health Administration in accordance with applicable regulations. Safety is our top priority. We will work with the city to remediate this issue as quickly and safely as possible to ensure minimal impact on the community."
At this time, Gordon Moore Park and Spencer T Olin Golf Course are temporarily closed to the public.
