A massive sinkhole opened up in downtown Ottawa Wednesday. The surrounding area buildings were evacuated, along with construction workers deep under the sinkhole constructing a tunnel.
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Luckily, there are no reports of injuries. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson praised the quick work of first responders.
“At this point we do not have any record of any injuries or any missing persons,” Watson said. “I’m proud of our emergency response.”
However, a van was swallowed up by the sinkhole.
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The cause of the sinkhole, near the corner of Sussex Drive and Rideau Street, has not yet been determined; a water main break or the work being done underground may have been the culprit.
The tunnel is linked to Ottawa’s new light-rail transit system, scheduled to open in 2018.
Twitter users were quick to humorously point blame for the sinkhole — images with Godzilla, a giant squirrel, and even a mountain of spaghetti and meatballs soon surfaced.
WATCH: Massive sinkhole opens up downtown Ottawa, Rideau Centre evacuated
The sinkhole even spurred at least two Twitter accounts:
While social media had fun with the sinkhole, the mayor called the situation “serious.” Officials say traffic will be closed in the vicinity for at least the next few days and the public is advised to avoid the area.
This is the second sinkhole to open up since the city began working on the 2.5 kilometre tunnel. In 2014, a 12-metre deep sinkhole opened up near Laurier Avenue and Waller Street. That sinkhole was linked to work under Waller Street.
Water service was disrupted Wednesday to over 800 customers in the immediate area, according to Hydro Ottawa.
With files from Global News’ Monique Muise and Nicole Bogart