Sinkhole swallows vehicles, trapping 2, as California storm rages, officials say

A woman and child had to be rescued from a 15-foot-deep sinkhole in pouring rain after it swallowed a pickup truck and a car, California firefighters reported.

The sinkhole opened in a Chatsworth street about 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9, as the latest in a series of storms battered the state, KABC reported.

When firefighters arrived, they discovered a pickup truck and car stacked on top of each other in the 15-foot-deep sinkhole, the station reported.

Two people in one vehicle escaped on their own, but two more were trapped in the other, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

An “immediate rescue to save their lives” was required as the unstable road continued to collapse and flood, firefighters said.

Using a fire engine ladder, a firefighter descended into the sinkhole on a rope to pull out the two people trapped inside, the release said.

A mother and daughter were rescued, KTLA reported. They were taken to a hospital.

Their car had become trapped beneath the pickup truck, KABC reported. The street remains closed.

An “atmospheric river” has slammed California with a series of intense storms bringing high winds and heavy rain.

The storms have killed at least 14 people, flooded streets, downed trees, forced evacuations and cut power to tens of thousands of people in recent days.

Chatsworth is a suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles.

This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 8:59 AM with the headline "Sinkhole swallows vehicles, trapping 2, as California storm rages, officials say."