A road in the village of Boyo-an in Candijay town, Bohol province, is closed after a sinkhole nearly 5 feet deep appears following heavy rains. —LEO UDTOHAN
CANDIJAY, BOHOL—A sinkhole nearly 5 feet (1.52 meters) deep appeared in the village of Boyo-an in this town following relentless rains last week, prompting town officials to cordon off the area as townsfolk started to take a closer look.
Rain washing away soil underneath the ground is believed to have caused the forming of the hole, which is more than 4 ft (1.22 meters) wide.
A sinkhole is a vacuum or cavern beneath the ground or topsoil that usually appears after a quake or heavy rain.
Residents said the sinkhole first appeared in December last year the size of a small ball when the rains started. It widened to more than 4 ft last week.
Local officials cordoned off the area after people started flocking to the hole to check.
At least 12 families are living near it, though.
Vicenta Licong, 62, whose house is just a meter from the sinkhole, said she could not sleep well since it widened last week. Her daughter, Teresa, worried for the safety of her daughter, Anna, 2.
Teresa said when it rains at night, her family would move out and seek shelter at a relative’s house.
Jeryl Lacang-Fuentes, municipal disaster risk reduction and management officer, said a team from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) is checking if the sinkhole is a threat to public safety.
Fuentes said the MGB classified the sinkhole as a “cover collapse type,” which means it had been there all along but has not been seen until the topsoil collapsed.
She said the MGB would further inspect the sinkhole next week using sophisticated gadgets, like ground-penetrating radar.
At least 11 families had been evacuated last week to Boyo-an Elementary School as a precaution, according to Fuentes.
The Licong family, however, refused to leave.
The sinkhole rendered portion of a village road impassable to motorists.
Fuentes said the road would remain closed to motorists until it is safe to be used again.
Several sinkholes started appearing after a 7.2-magnitude quake hit Bohol in October 2013.