Man Killed as Sinkhole Opens Beneath House

A 27-year-old man fell into a gaping hole that suddenly opened beneath a house in the rural community of Alta, trapping him beneath foundation rubble and killing him, authorities said Sunday.

The home, built in the 1980s, may have been sitting atop a decades-old mine. Recent rains could have softened the ground under the home, officials said.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Placer County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Dena Erwin. “From the front of the house, it’s absolutely normal. Then, in the middle of the house, is this enormous hole.”

The unidentified victim was awake and on the ground floor about 9:30 p.m. Friday when the concrete foundation near the kitchen gave way, sending him plunging into the ground, Erwin said.

The man’s wife also was in the house at the time. She was uninjured, Erwin said.

Rescuers had trouble reaching the man because the ground began to shift, creating an unsafe situation for work crews. They still were trying to remove the man’s body Sunday afternoon, and Erwin said the home has been condemned.