Sinkhole Swallows Car in Washington D.C. Area After Water Main Break

A water main break caused a sinkhole in a suburban Washington, D.C. neighborhood, swallowing up a family’s car just after they escaped.

Television news footage showed the back right end of the car barely visible from the sinkhole in Bladensburg in Prince George’s County on Tuesday morning.

Luz Martinez, whose home was flooded by the water main break, tells WRC-TV that a family was inside the car when the sinkhole opened. She says the family hadn’t yet put on seat belts, helping them escape faster.

In her own home, Martinez says the water is up to her knees in the basement.

Area residents, including one barefoot woman, could be seen carrying garbage bags full of their belongings from their homes in freezing temperatures.

Sanitation crews are at the scene.