Chatsworth sinkhole swallows 2 cars, 4 people rescued
LOS ANGELES - Two people trapped inside a vehicle at the bottom of a large sinkhole were rescued Monday evening in Chatsworth.
Firefighters were called at 9:30 p.m. to the 11400 block of Iverson Road where they found two vehicles on top of each other approximately 15 feet below ground level.
Employing a high-angle rope and an aerial ladder operation positioned over the water-filled hole, in the midst of heavy rainfall, a firefighter was lowered down to secure a young girl and a woman with a harness and then raise them to the surface, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.
In an aerial view, a car and a pickup truck are seen inside a sinkhole as another storm created by a series of atmospheric rivers inundates California on January 10, 2023 in the suburban Los Angeles neighborhood of Chatsworth. (Photo by David McNew/G
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The woman and her daughter were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Stewart said.
The following night, crews were able to pull what was left of the SUV that fell into the sinkhole.
Two other victims were able to pull themselves up from the sinkhole before firefighters arrived. They were uninjured.
In an aerial view, a car and a pickup truck are seen inside a sinkhole as another storm created by a series of atmospheric rivers inundates California on January 10, 2023 in the suburban Los Angeles neighborhood of Chatsworth. (Photo by David McNew/G
Stewart said 50 firefighters took part in the operation.
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Because the roadway was completely compromised, authorities said it could not support emergency vehicles.
The sinkhole fully cut across the southbound lane of Iverson Road and the entire road was closed after being deemed impassable to traffic.