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Massive sinkhole swallows soccer fields at Illinois park

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June 27 (UPI) -- A massive sinkhole opened up beneath the soccer fields at an Illinois park, swallowing large chunks of several fields and a large light pole.

Security video recorded by Alton Parks & Recreation shows the moment the sinkhole opened up in the middle of the soccer complex at Gordon F. Moore Community Park at about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

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"At the surface, it was all at once," Michael Haynes, director of Alton Parks & Recreation, told KTVI-TV. "It all went. Actually, one of our lights was in the middle and it's all gone."

The hole was caused by a collapse in the mines located about 150 feet below fields three and four, officials said.

New Frontier Materials, the company that operates the mines, said engineers were sent to the park later Wednesday to assess the damage.

"The impacted area has been secured and will remain off limits for the foreseeable future while inspectors and experts examine the mine and conduct repairs," a company representative told KSDK-TV.

Haynes said there were no injuries resulting from the sinkhole, which measures about 100 feet wide and 30 feet deep.

The soccer fields, which feature artificial turf that was installed in a $1.2 million project in 2018, will remain closed for the foreseeable future, Haynes said.

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"We're waiting to hear back from the mine and see what the geologists and the engineers have to say about it," he said. "We'll follow their lead on where to go from here. They can determined what happened, why it happened, how to prevent it, and how we fix what has happened here."

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