Party in Israel Ends with One Death as Sinkhole Opened Up In the Middle of a Swimming Pool

Two men were sucked into a sinkhole that appeared in the middle of a swimming pool at a gathering in Israel. Both one death and one injury were the results of the incident.

According to The Times of Israel, it took rescue efforts four hours to extract the man's body from the 43-foot-deep sinkhole on July 21. Klil Kimhi, 32, was later identified, but it is still unclear as to the cause of death. Investigations are underway to determine whether he was crushed to death, drowned, or perished in the fall.

In a video shared on social media, the pool floor in a private residence in Karmei Yosef, central Israel, is seen collapsing and buckling inwards, suckling in most of the pool water in a matter of seconds. Two men were dragged into the sinkhole by a vortex that swept them up.

One of the men, age 34, was able to escape, but Kimhi was later discovered dead. There were six people in the pool at the time, but all of them were unharmed.

Sinkholes

As stated by the U.S. Geological Survey, while sinkholes can form in a variety of ways, they typically happen when the ground beneath the surface of the land crumbles into the groundwater. It is then washed away, leaving an open cavern with only a thin layer of ground covering it.

In regions with limestone, carbonate, or salt bed-derived rocks, sinkholes are common. construction techniques and groundwater pumping can alter the natural ground structure and water drainage patterns, which can lead to the formation of sinkholes.

The sinkhole becomes more dramatic as the chasm below the land surface grows; occasionally, entire cars or even entire houses can fall into the ground when the thin layer of surface eventually gives way. The states in the United States that suffer the most damage from sinkholes are Florida, Texas, Missouri, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.

In Dover, Florida, in 2010, during a single freeze event, more than 100 sinkholes developed because farmers irrigated their crops exceedingly to protect them from the cold, which caused the groundwater levels to drop noticeably. The sinkholes obliterated houses, roads, and cultivated land in its entirety.

Read also: Cave Explorers Discover Thriving Ancient Forest in 600-Feet Sinkhole 

Swimming Pool Sinkhole

As they searched for the missing man in Israel, search crews constructed a support structure to keep the swimming pool floor from further collapsing onto the crew. The fact that there might have been additional tunnels connected to the primary sinkhole culvert that could have collapsed as well and put the rescue teams in danger complicated the search.

Police in Israel has announced that they are investigating the death and will look into the licensing procedures related to the pool's construction. The owner of the residence has reportedly been questioned by local police on charges of negligent manslaughter. It stated that the owner did not request a permit before constructing the pool, Newsweek reports.

Related article: New York City Came Into a Standstill as Sinkholes Swallow Van, Halt Transportation Following Torrential Rain