a I opened a huge hole In southern Italy on Friday, Swallowing at least three cars In a nearby hospital, authorities said that electricity was cut off briefly.
Officials said that homes in the neighborhood, including a home for Covid-19 patients, had been evacuated, but that there appeared to be no injuries due to the crater in Naples.
Authorities said the Covid-19 housing contained six patients who had been transferred.
The sinkhole opened under the largely empty visitor car park at Al Bahr Hospital. The electricity and water service was stopped briefly, but backup systems allowed operations to continue.
“Frankly, we were also concerned about the collapse of all facilities and that the hospital’s activity might be at risk,” said Regional Governor Vincenzo de Luca.
“Alhamdulillah, this did not happen. We had a blackout, but the electricity has been restored and now we have no problem providing care.”
The crater depth of 21,527 feet was about 66 feet.
“It is almost certain that rainwater from the past few days caused the leak that led to the collapse,” Chief Firefighter Cmdr. Enyo Aquilino Sky News said. “There will be more technical inspections, but the main premise is this.”
The Associated Press Contributed.
