Sinkhole opens beneath parked van in Los Angeles

Nov. 10 (UPI) -- A sinkhole that opened suddenly on a Los Angeles street swallowed the front half of a family's parked van.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said the vehicle was unoccupied Tuesday morning when the sinkhole opened underneath it on a street in the city's Crenshaw District.

The fire department said the sinkhole had been caused by a broken water main that caused flooding on South Buckingham Road. Firefighters arriving to deal with the flooding just after 5 a.m. found the van with its front half sunken into the road.

The road was partially closed to traffic while crews worked to shut off the water and repair the damage.