Giant IHOP Sinkhole Swallows 15 Cars In Mississippi (PHOTOS, TWEETS)

A newly opened IHOP experienced a giant sinkhole in Meridian, Miss. Saturday night, which swallowed 15 patron's cars in the 50-feet wide opening in the parking lot.

"We received a call of vehicles going through the pavement at the IHOP in Meridian," Patrol Lieutenant Rita Jack with Meridian Police told NBC News.

"When we arrived on scene, 14 to 15 vehicles that we could see had fallen roughly 30 feet into the ground. We expect that there may be more and that they may fall further into the ground because there is only mud underneath."

The weekend's forecasted rain could stall the recovery effort, but officials are confident that they can start moving cars from the sinkhole in three to five days.

"The sinkhole is huge," said Jack, according to The Huffington Post. "If you imagine a football field cut in half, it is every bit of 50 feet wide and about 100 - 125 feet wide. We are talking 14 to 15 vehicles. It is very scary. We are so fortunate that no injuries were sustained. We are gonna keep it under observation until we know that it is clear and safe."

"We received a call earlier this evening of a sinkhole opening up at the new IHOP restaurant," said Meridian Fire Department Chief Battalion Wwayne Cook, according to the Inquisitr. "Upon arrival, we found multiple vehicles in the ditch. At this time, we are trying to stabilize this and keep everyone away."

Sinkholes happen all over, but the U.S. Geological Survey says that Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Florida are more susceptible to them.

Common causes are erosion from underground water, broken water pipes, drilling, mining and excavation projects weakening the land structure. While no one knows the cause of the IHOP sinkhole, investigation is underway.

The IHOP had opened earlier in the week.

Tags

Mississippi, Sinkhole, Vehicles, Rain, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, Florida, U.S. Geological Survey, Mining