Pickup truck swallowed by sinkhole after water main break
Two men are safe after they escaped from their pickup truck after it was submerged in water in a sinkhole caused by a water main break on Strasburg Road in Kitchener early Wednesday morning.
The City of Kitchener were asking people to steer clear of the area of Strasburg Road between Trillium Drive at Battler Road as police and utilities staff work on the scene.
The two men who were in the truck were working for landscaping company Tri Green. The truck had been towing a trailer and that trailer was also tipped partly into the hole.
Tri Green owner Russ Langford told CBC News the men had been on their way to work when the truck became submerged in the sinkhole.
"They got wet, they kind of had do some swimming," Langford said. "The truck filled up with water immediately and they got out through the windows."
Tammer Gaber, manager of operations for Kitchener Utilities, said they received a call about a water main break at about 1 a.m.
"When staff came out to investigate, they were in the process of calling police to close the road and shut the valves down when the truck behind us broke through the surface of the road and it was partially submerged. Kitchener utility staff helped the two occupants out safely. They were wet but unhurt," Gaber told CBC News.
Kitchener Utilities staff used a ladder from their truck to stretch out to the men to get them out of the truck, Gaber said.
Crews are working to pump water out of the sinkhole so a crane can be brought in to get the truck out.
"We have to be really careful with this truck here because there's a water main underneath it and we've got to make sure that none of that gasoline or diesel fuel gets into that water main," Gaber said.
Gaber added it will likely be two days to fix the sinkhole.
