DURBAN - RESIDENTS living in George in the Western Cape were left gobsmacked when a vehicle "fell" into a sinkhole at the weekend.
The two occupants of the Toyota Fortuner, a father a son, were able to escape without injury.
Police spokesperson, Captain Malcolm Pojie, said that the incident occurred near Heriot Street and the vehicle was later pulled out of the sinkhole.
The George Herald reported that the incident happened near an area in Genevafontein, where officials were working to repair a water pipe burst that occurred earlier that morning.
Massive sinkhole swallowed the whole Toyota Fortuner in George, Western Cape province. pic.twitter.com/QOl2WjcJJf
— ThePinkBrain News (@thepinkbrain1) March 13, 2021
Meanwhile, the private contractor working at the Genevafontein project has completed the dropping in of the replacement pipe.
According to the George Municipality’s Facebook page, the couplings have been installed successfully and a bobcat is on site to ensure that a minimum layer of soil is placed, to support and cover the pipes before water flow can be entirely restored. Once this has been completed, the valves will be reopened slowly and it is expected that it will take an additional few hours for water to have filled up the network sufficiently to restore full water pressure throughout the system.
The water supply for Thembalethu will continue to be monitored and when no longer required the water trucks will be withdrawn here as well. Water will remain available for collection at the Fire Department, Mitchell Street and the Fire Station, Thembalethu, Fourways.
Heriot Road between Stander and Spreeu streets remains closed to traffic and pedestrians.
Traffic officials will remain on site after hours and during the night. Residents of the houses in the repair zone are advised to “proceed with extreme caution” and only if alternative access is not possible.
A final update will be provided by tomorrow morning. Should any resident experience no water again during the evening, they should report to(A/h) 044 8016300 with address details.
IOL