(VIDEO) Sinkhole Swallows Soccer Field in Illinois
In the past few hours, a video has gone viral on social media showing the moment a sinkhole appears in the middle of a soccer field, causing a light pole to disappear at a sports complex located in Alton, Illinois, USA.
In the footage, a hole approximately 100 feet in diameter suddenly opens up, damaging the playing field where, fortunately, no one was present. The incident quickly went viral, and Illinois state police swiftly mobilized to cordon off the area and prevent public access to avoid further accidents.
According to initial investigations, the sinkhole was caused by a mine located beneath the field, owned by New Frontier Materials (a company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, the neighboring state to Illinois), which suffered a collapse right in the area where a light pole was located, resulting in the pole being "swallowed" by the ground.
New Frontier Materials is a company that provides construction materials—mainly asphalt, stone, and aggregates—throughout the St. Louis area and is located at "more than 20 locations across the area," according to their LinkedIn page.