Bizarre video shows giant swirling sinkhole consuming huge chunks of grass
Mesmerising footage shows a large chunk of land collapsing into a huge swirling sinkhole in Kericho, in the highlands west of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, east Africa.
The video shows the seemingly small sinkhole start sucking in water from a large puddle, before pulling in huge chunks of mud and long grass.
Locals can be overheard shouting and laughing in shock and amazement at the scene, which took place on Friday.
Heavy rain has battered the region, leading to severe flooding and landslides across Kenya that left 100 people dead and nearly 2,000 homeless.
Geography teacher Dicken Muchena, 27, who shot the footage, said: "I think along the rift valley, a lot of activities are taking place covertly.
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"The rift valley being a tectonic active zone, there are various cracks, holes and underground voids.
"Following heavy rains in the regions, the overlying soil was eroded exposing the cracks and voids underground.
"This caused the runoff water to sip in through the openings to fill up the spaces."
Kenya’s Great Rift Valley is part of the East African Great Rift Valley, a series of trenches spanning approximately 6,000km that is in the process of splitting the African Plate into two separate plates.
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According to the British Geological Survey, sudden “dropout” sinkholes like this one include the “more spectacular collapses that sometimes hit the headlines” that get picked up by the media.
They can vary in width and depth, ranging from a slight depression to a huge hole – and can swallow parts of roads, or even buildings.
Several families displaced by floods at Rhonda Ward in Nakuru County following heavy downpour.
The affected families have been moved to Mwariki Primary School. pic.twitter.com/cgCjlmUK6v— Kenya Red Cross (@KenyaRedCross) May 3, 2020
Flooding along Kenya’s Nzoia River, which burst its banks on Thursday, has left many thousands of homes submerged.
Images show residents wading through the waters after their home was flooded and setting up makeshift shelters on the raised ground near floodwaters.
The Kenya Red Cross has also asked county governments for additional shelters, due to concerns that coronavirus could spread due to overcrowding.
