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Massive sinkhole opens at soccer field in downstate Illinois

By Kellie Highet
Published  June 27, 2024 5:49am CDT
Illinois
Storyful

Pritzker releases statement after Illinois soccer field collapses into sinkhole

A park in Alton, Illinois, closed on Wednesday after a giant sinkhole opened up in the middle of a soccer field.

ALTON, Ill. - A park in Alton, Illinois, closed on Wednesday after a giant sinkhole opened up in the middle of a soccer field.

Footage captured by 618 Drone Service shows the large hole, estimated to be around 100 feet wide in the turf at Gordon Moore Park.

The sinkhole, which formed at around 10 am on Wednesday, was the result of a mine collapsing, local media reported.

"The New Frontier Materials underground mine in Alton, IL today experienced a surface subsidence and opened a sink hole at Gordon Moore City Park," a spokesperson from the mine said.

Nobody was on the field at the time of the collapse or hurt, Alton Mayor David Goins told local media.

Massive sinkhole opens at soccer field in downstate Illinois

A park in Alton, Illinois, closed on Wednesday after a giant sinkhole opened up in the middle of a soccer field.(Credit: 618 Drone Service via Storyful)

All scheduled events at the park were canceled on Wednesday and Thursday as investigations continued.

On Thursday, Governor JB Pritzker called on the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Mine Safety and Health Administration to look into the incident.

"The residents of Madison County deserve a thorough and well-communicated investigation into this incident to hasten their return to normalcy," Pritzker said in a statement. "I trust that the DOL will act efficiently in exploring the role of previous mining operations in creating this incident and in finding solutions to ensure community safety."