Family of four swallowed by sinkhole


All four members of a Canadian family are feared dead after their farmhouse was swallowed by a massive sinkhole.

Police found the Prefontaine family - father Richard, his wife Line and their two daughters - in the basement of their home, CP24 reported.

Two were confirmed dead after their bodies were removed from the site, while the status of the other two was yet to be confirmed.

Incredibly, the family's dog was found alive, although weak, after being dragged into the sinkhole.

It is believed the family was in the basement when the earth opened up and swallowed their country home on Monday night local time.

Their home is located in St. Jude, Quebec, approximately 100km northeast of Montreal.

"It's a pretty gigantic crater," Quebec fire department spokesman Francois Gregoire said. 

"It's hard imagining something like this. It's pretty impressive."

Neighbors said the area's soil was unstable and a similar landslide wiped out a small bridge a few years ago.

The two adults were in their 40s, one daughter was in fourth grade and the other was a high school student, The Globe and Mail reported.

Police moved the security perimeter closer to the scene of the landslide today. Surete du Quebec Police spokesman Ronald McInnis said the crater was 500m by 100m wide and 30m deep.

Three cars in front of the house were also swept away, as well as a nearby road. Five other houses in the area were evacuated.


Herald Sun

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