Florida

New Hole Opens at Site of Fatal Tampa-Area Sinkhole

Another sinkhole opened Wednesday in the exact location where one swallowed a man as he slept in his bed more than two years ago, Florida emergency responders said.

The hole opened up again in Seffner, east of Tampa, and is about 20 feet in diameter, according to Ronnie Rivera of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

In March 2013, Jeffrey Bush was asleep in his bedroom on the property when the floor collapsed and he fell in. His body was never recovered. His brother, Jeremy Bush, was in the house and tried to rescue him, even jumping into the hole. He was rescued by authorities as the ground crumbled around him. Jeremy Bush was seen at the site Wednesday.

After the tragedy, officials razed the Bush home and two adjacent homes. Wednesday's sinkhole is on a vacant lot that's now surrounded by a metal fence.

No one has been injured from the new sinkhole, and no nearby homes have been evacuated, Rivera said.

Sinkholes are so common in Florida that state law requires home insurers to provide coverage against the danger. While some cars, homes and other buildings have been devoured, it's rare for them to swallow a person.

Florida is highly prone to sinkholes because there are caverns below ground of limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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