Guatemala City, Guatemala: A 100-meter-deep (330-foot-deep) sinkhole killed two teenage siblings and swallowed about a dozen homes, forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people in a crowded Guatemala City neighborhood.
Officials blamed recent rains and an underground sewage flow from a ruptured main for opening up the sinkhole on Friday, and warned that it could widen. The two bodies were found near the enormous fissure, floating in a river of sewage.
The stinking pit emitted loud noises and tremors, shaking the surrounding ground. A rush of water could be heard from its depths, and authorities feared it could widen or others could open up.
''We have closed the valves on the storm and sewer drains and we are going to wait until the area stabilises before going down there to evaluate, but in the meantime the mouth of the hole will certainly become larger,'' said Alvaro Rodas, the director of social development for Guatemala City.
Edward Ramirez, 26, said he and other residents had been hearing noises and feeling tremors for about a month before the sinkhole appeared before dawn, waking many in the poor neighborhood.
''People were shouting 'The electric posts are falling down!''' said Ramirez, who lives 50 meters from the hole. ''We are going to a friend's house now. There's no way we'll stay here.''
Emergency spokesman Juan Carlos Bolanos identified the dead teens as Irma and David Soyos. Their father, Domingo, was still missing, according to national disaster coordinator Hugo Hernandez.
Residents said others were unaccounted for, but Hernandez could not confirm that.
Authorities evacuated nearby homes and cordoned off a 500-meter (500-yard) perimeter around the crater.
Police helped residents move out, with some officers carrying refrigerators and televisions on their shoulders while other pushed sofas on makeshift carts.
Security officials were on guard for possible looters and to clear the area of onlookers.
Authorities had apparently suspected something was wrong with the site before the sinkhole appeared. ''We knew, and (the seismology institute) had placed a seismic meter there,'' Rodas said. ''The city government had contracted a robotic camera system to go down there, but the disaster occurred first.''
Cristobal Colon, a spokesman for the municipal water authority, said the sewage main ruptured after becoming clogged. He said the army had been considering a controlled explosion to clear the pipe, which carries both rainwater and sewage for much of the capital.
Antonio Fuentes, 50, said he plans to abandon the run-down neighborhood he has called home for 15 years.
''Last night a friend had to take my handicapped wife out on motorcycle,'' he said. ''Now I'm leaving for good, never to come back.''
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