Search under way for woman believed trapped in sinkhole
Authorities in Pennsylvania are searching underground for a woman who is believed to have fallen into a 30-foot (9-meter) deep sinkhole, which may have opened up beneath her while she was searching for her missing cat.
Sixty-four-year-old Elizabeth Pollard was reported missing by her family after she went out Monday night to search for the cat. First responders nearly fell into the same hole upon arrival, which is thought to be connected to an old coal mine.
Cameras and microphones have been lowered into the sinkhole, but Mrs. Pollard has not been found. Officials report that they spotted what appeared to be a shoe in the footage.
Early Tuesday morning, Mrs. Pollard’s car was found parked behind a restaurant in Marguerite, a town 40 miles (65 km) east of Pittsburgh. Her five-year-old granddaughter was found inside, cold but unharmed.
According to Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Stephen Limani, the hole is roughly the size of a manhole cover. However, the pocket below is much larger, extending about 30 feet before encountering debris.
Authorities suspect the sinkhole formed while Mrs. Pollard was standing on it during her search for her cat, Pepper. They are hopeful that she may be sheltering in an underground void.
“We believe the sinkhole likely formed while Mrs. Pollard was walking around,” Trooper Limani said. “There’s no evidence suggesting the hole existed before she began looking for her cat.”
Over 100 people are participating in the search, with mining experts on-site. Officials have also dug an additional hole to access the area, fearing the ground above may be unstable.
Temperatures in the hole are significantly warmer than at the surface, and authorities have not detected any dangerous gases, which are sometimes present in abandoned mines.
Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Company Chief John Bacha remarked that the shoe discovered appears to be modern, rather than dating back to when the mine was active in the 1940s.
