Sixty foot-deep sinkhole opens up outside Italian hospital forcing wards full of coronavirus patients to be closed
- A large chasm opened in the parking lot of Hospital of the Sea, in Naples, Italy
- Forced nearby residence filled with recovering Covid-19 patients to evacuate
- Sinkhole, now filled with rubble, engulfed large part of car park and three cars A sixty foot-deep sinkhole opened up outside an Italian hospital, forcing wards full of coronavirus patients to be closed.
The giant chasm opened in the parking lot at the Hospital of the Sea in Naples leading to a temporary closure of a nearby residence for recovering Covid-19 patients because utilities were severed.
Operations were not affected at the hospital and firefighters said it didn't appear anyone was injured.
A large sinkhole appeared in the Hospital of the Sea car park in Naples, Italy, this morning
Aerial shots revealed the size of the gigantic hole, which has swallowed up a large chunk of the car park
The chasm is more than 60ft deep and is filled with rubble and at least three cars from the parking lot
Hospital operations remained largely unaffected but a nearby residence for recovering Covid-19 patients had to be evacuated
The sinkhole consumed three cars in the hospital's otherwise empty visitors' parking lot.The local hospital district said the 66ft deep, 21,527-square-foot sinkhole opened at dawn. Chief firefighter Cmdr. Ennio Aquilino told Italian television channel SkyTG 24 the implosion could have been caused by an infiltration of water underground as a result of recent heavy rains.
At the time, six people were recovering at the residence for Covid-19 patients. They have been relocated.
The six coronavirus patients who were being treated have since been relocated
The local hospital district said the 66ft deep, 21,527-square-foot sinkhole opened at dawn
Since the enormous hole appeared firefights have confirmed there are no injuries as a result
The coronavirus recovery residence was forced to shut and relocate people because utilities were severed
The regional governor, Vincenzo De Luca, said the residence would reopen within days after electricity and water service were restored.
Both were also interrupted at the hospital but backup systems allowed care to continue.
'Frankly, we were also worried about the collapse of all utilities and that the activity of the hospital could be jeopardized,' De Luca said.
It is believed the coronavirus residence will reopen within days once the electricity and water service return
The hospital's water and electric supplies were affected by the sinkhole but backup systems allowed services to continue as normal
'Thank God, this did not happen. We had a power break but electricity was restored and now we don't have any problem in providing care.'
People and emergency service teams were seen close to the scene as they marveled at the shocking sight.
Aerial shots of the enormous sinkhole show the large area of car park that has been engulfed, leaving behind a rubble-fill hole in the ground.
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