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TAGTIK NEWS - TO THE POINT

A football pitch vanishes entirely in just a few seconds

byMelissa Hekkers
|
15 Jun 2025 13h15
aerial view of green basketball court surrounded by green trees during daytime
© Unsplash

It was almost exactly a year ago. An alarming phenomenon took place at the Gordon Moore municipal ground in Alton (United States).

Fortunately, no one was present at the time of the collapse. In the centre of the pitch, a huge sinkhole 15 metres deep opened up in just a few seconds, according to the media outlet L’Indépendant. The scene was captured by a CCTV camera. 

Further explanation

“Like a bomb had gone off,” is how the director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, Michael Haynes, described it to NBC. In fact, the 30-metre-wide hole was caused by the collapse of an underground mine, where miners were working 45 metres beneath the park. 

(MH with Raphaël Liset - Source: L’Indépendant - Illustration: ©Unsplash)