Soil suddenly liquefies, 'swallows' excavator in front of people

This is the bizarre moment the soil turned into liquid, swallowing an excavator and the driver had to jump out to escape.

According to Newsflare, recorded images show land, trees and excavators submerged in mud in Central Mamuju Regency, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, on November 2.

Officials said the incident began during road renovation work for a palm oil company at Jalan Desa Saloadak in Tobadak district.

The excavator was submerged while renovating the road.

Rezky Ilhamsyah, coordinator of the Central Mamuju BPBD's Data and Information Center, added: "The road in Saloadak village collapsed due to liquefaction. This caused a heavy equipment to be swept away.

The excavator was severely damaged after being buried. Fortunately, the excavator operator survived the disaster."

Rezky added that about 200 metres of the village was affected and traffic in both directions was currently impassable.

No injuries were reported following the incident. Police were at the scene to monitor the situation and secure the area.

Liquefaction is a geological phenomenon that occurs when saturated soil loses its strength and stiffness due to pressure applied, such as during earthquakes or other ground shaking events.

This phenomenon often occurs in loose, water-saturated soils, especially in sandy or muddy materials.

In 2018, soil liquefaction was also blamed for building collapses in Indonesia following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake.