Authorities recovered a man’s body from a sinkhole that opened in the bottom of a swimming pool Thursday in central Israel.
Two swimmers were swept into the ground when a sinkhole gave way at a private pool party held for the employees of a marketing company in the town of Carmei Yosef, according to The Jerusalem Post. Other swimmers managed to take hold of something nearby as the water sucked the two men down. (RELATED: As If Times Weren’t Scary Enough, Now Sinkholes Are Swallowing Vans In NYC)
בולען נפער בבריכה בבית פרטי בכרמי יוסף, אדם נעדר@daniel_elazar pic.twitter.com/8YiT1g2rdT
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 21, 2022
The sinkhole opened suddenly, emptying water from the pool in a matter of seconds, responding paramedic Uri Damari told The Jerusalem Post. A 34-year-old man managed to emerge from the gaping hole on his own, but the body of the other swimmer was discovered after hours of search and rescue operations, the outlet reported.
Rescue efforts were challenged by the threat of a second collapse, The Times of Israel reported. Workers attached Go-Pro cameras to the helmets of rescuers, and then lowered the responders underground. Additional emergency personnel looked for more sinkholes from a helicopter, the outlet noted.
Emergency medical services treated the survivor for “minor injuries,” according to the Israel National News.