In a bizarre incident, a mysterious sinkhole of about 25 meters (82 feet) that appeared in a mining area in Chile on Monday has sparked an investigation by Chilean authorities.
The aerial picture of the sinkhole, which appeared on land operated by the Canadian Lundin Mining copper mine, has taken the internet by storm.
A team of specialists from the National Service of Geology and Mining in Chile's Sernageomin area was sent to investigate the occurrence and revealed that they have found a considerable distance, approximately 200 meters (656 feet), to the bottom. They closed the area from the entrance to the work site of the Alcaparrosa mine, located near the sinkhole.
“We haven’t detected any material down there, but we have seen the presence of a lot of water,” National Service of Geology and Mining (Sernageomin) Director David Montenegro said in the media statement.
No workers or local residents have been affected by the sinkhole as the closest home is more than 600 metres away, while the nearest populated area or public service is almost a kilometre away from the affected zone.