'Hell hole' in Guatemala is still a mystery

Scientists have not found the culprit behind the giant pit in Guatemala's capital.

Many buildings collapsed or were swallowed up after the pit appeared in Guatemala City.Photo: AP.

Guatemala officials have not announced the number of deaths due to the presence of the "hell hole" in Guatemala City on May 29, although residents reported one or two missing. Earlier tropical storm Agatha had robbed at least 180 victims in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

National Geographic says the diameter of the pit is about 18 m, but CNN reports a diameter of 20 m.

Many people believe that the appearance of too many trucks on the street is the cause of the hole. Geologists say it is possible that pits appear after the upper part of an underground cave collapses. However, the exact cause has not been determined.

"I can confirm that this is not a geological crack, nor is it a consequence of an earthquake. We just know that," AP quoted David Monterroso, an engineer in the Disaster Response Agency Guatemala.

Sergio Morales, a government social worker in Guatemala City, said that since 2005, people in the city center have complained to officials about the phenomenon of soil cracking, displacement and subsidence.

City officials said the road through the hole was weakened by previous storms. David Monterroso, geological director of the Guatemala Disaster Management Agency, said that the scientific community needs to carefully analyze the soil around the pit to conclude how many nearby houses are still at risk.

Video: AP.

According to him, many previous studies show that the land at the bottom of the 'hell hole' is often unstable and the underground sewers, water pipes can contribute to the creation of a pit.

The US Geological Bureau reports 'hell holes' that occur in places with limestone, carbonate rocks, salt floors - things that can be decomposed or dissolved when exposed to groundwater. The agency also provides evidence that the 'hell holes' appear recently by humans exploiting groundwater for building houses, irrigation and other activities.

AP said, among the buildings poured by the pit there is a clothing factory. People living near the hole say it is a miracle that none of the workers in the shirt factory will be killed.

"Those guys are very lucky. They left the factory about an hour before the land collapsed and the pits appeared in the afternoon of May 29," a resident named Honora Oliva said.

Police and soldiers stood guard around the pit to prevent curious people from getting too close to it. Most people living near the pit have moved to safety due to fears that the crater will continue to expand and swallow more houses.

"We will not wait. We have rented a house somewhere else and will leave soon," said one resident.

Armando Gomez, a businessman in Guatemala City, said: 'When the earth falls, it makes a sound like the sound of the water flowing from a river below the ground.'

In 2007, a hell hole also appeared in Guatemala City and killed three people.