As we’ve learned in recent months, sinkholes should always be feared. These terrifying beasts are wreaking havoc across the globe on a daily basis. One of most noteworthy sinkholes on the planet is the sinkhole in the town of Solikamsk, Russia. Back in November 2014, Uralkali, which is the largest fertilizer producer in Russia, began evacuating people from a community built for seasonal workers right on top of its Solikamsk-2 mine.
Flooding caused a huge sinkhole to open right in the middle of the village, 1,000 miles north of Moscow.
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While the company planned to move workers back after things settled, the sinkhole had other plans. It continued to expand.
Sinkhole near potash mine in Solikamsk has grown to 400ft, is slowly eating up the whole town https://t.co/DaBSVRz48X pic.twitter.com/9EuEEgNvSi
— Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) September 2, 2015
Continued flooding contributed to the hole’s expansion throughout the spring and summer.
Solikamsk. #Uralkali pic.twitter.com/CbhJAadnLT
— Russian Market (@russian_market) September 3, 2015
Amazingly enough, the mine under the sinkhole is actually stable. However, Uralkali has suspended operations there until they can sort this sinkhole out.
This side-by-side comparison shows just how much bigger the hole has become. It’s like something out of a horror movie.
The sinkhole Solikamsk (Russia) is getting bigger. Here is comparison Nov 2014 vs Aug 2015 via codeandcommand.c… pic.twitter.com/In0QC0gMt3
— CodeAndCommand (@CodeAndCommand) September 2, 2015
(via Mysterious Universe)
At the moment, there’s nothing that Uralkali can do to reclaim their village and mine from the sinkhole. However, it’s unlikely the company will abandon the area completely. The Solikamsk-2 mine was one of the company’s most profitable, so you can bet they won’t go down without a fight.
