Florida sinkhole visible after victim’s home demolished

Demolition crews in Seffner, Fla., on Monday knocked down walls of the house where Jeff Bush, 37, was living before a sinkhole swallowed his bedroom on Thursday night.

The hole was not visible outside the home before an 80-foot excavation arm knocked down the walls and revealed the chasm, which experts thought extended dozens of feet into the earth, where Bush’s body is thought to remain.

His brother, Jeremy Bush, has been vocal about his family’s desire to recover his brother’s body, telling reporters earlier in the day, “It’s hard to see his hole.”

“That’s the hole I was in trying to get my brother out of,” Bush said, according to Bay News 9. “I tried the hardest I could. I wanted to let him know I love him. ‘I tried my hardest to get you out, bro. I think I’m the only one that really tried to get you out.’”

Jeremy Bush jumped into the deepening sinkhole but became trapped until a sheriff’s deputy pulled him out.

Local media reported that the family put mementos in the excavation bucket to be placed in the hole before officials began filling it with gravel in an effort to stabilize the immediate area.

Another sinkhole (photo) opened up a couple miles away in a backyard in Seffner, not causing any injuries or structural damage, but raising fears among residents about the ground they live on.

Much of Florida’s land sits on soft limestone that is susceptible to dissolving, creating sinkholes.

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matt.pearce@latimes.com