ROME – A giant sinkhole opened on Friday in the parking lot of a hospital in Naples, Italy, forcing the temporary closure of a nearby residence for patients recovering from COVID-19 because public services were interrupted.
Hospital of the Sea operations were unaffected and firefighters said it did not appear that anyone was injured. The sink consumed three cars in the hospital’s empty visitor parking lot.
The local hospital district said the 20-meter-deep (66-foot) and 2,000-square-foot (21,527-square-foot) sinkhole opened at dawn. Commander of the fire chief. Ennio Aquilino told Italian television channel SkyTG 24 that the implosion may 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 home of patients with COVID-19. They were relocated.
The regional governor, Vincenzo De Luca, said the residence would be reopened within a few days after the restoration of electricity and water services. Both were also interrupted at the hospital, but the backup systems allowed the service to continue.
“Frankly, we were also concerned about the collapse of all public services and that the hospital’s activity could be hampered,” said De Luca. “Thank God that didn’t happen. We had a power cut, but the electricity was restored and now we have no problem with it. “