A sinkhole beneath a swimming pool at a residential home in central Israel killed a man who was out having fun with coworkers on Thursday.
Authorities in Israel said that two men were swept into a sinkhole that developed during a company pool party, in the town of Karmi Yosef, 40 kilometers southeast of Tel Aviv. Over 50 guests were at a pool party hosted by a marketing firm when the event occurred.
People in swimwear can be heard screaming in the horrifying video footage of the tragedy as they watch the pool’s water quickly drain into the pit.
בולען נפער בבריכה בבית פרטי בכרמי יוסף, אדם נעדר@daniel_elazar pic.twitter.com/8YiT1g2rdT
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 21, 2022
תיעוד: ניסיונות הירידה לבור שנפער בבריכה, בחיפוש אחר הנעדר@daniel_elazar pic.twitter.com/0JzxKvtATr
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 21, 2022
The Israel Fire and Rescue Authorities said that the sinkhole suddenly emerged at the bottom of the in-ground pool.
It showed that the sinkhole growing quickly, draining the pool and pulling inflatable toys into its vortex. The collapsing ground created a hole nearly 50 feet deep.
Reportedly, there are six people in the pool at the time, four managed to escape but two men were sucked into the sinkhole. One man managed to climb out, suffering minor injuries, but for the other man, authorities have been searching, however, the search proved difficult and dangerous.
While providing help to the injured man and looking for the body of the other, rescue workers feared the sinkhole would continue to fall. But the body of the missing guy was eventually found, the authorities said, and his cause of death is still unknown. Whether the man was drowned, crushed, or killed from his fall. The victim was identified as Klil Kimhi, 32.
An investigation has begun into the cause of the sinkhole. A professor at the Tel Aviv geophysics department, Shmuel Marco said, “There are no known natural sinkholes in that area.”
Instead, Marco attributed the sinkhole to poor construction. “The fact that a sinkhole appeared precisely bellow the pool indicates it was a man-made occurrence and that the water that leaked from the pool caused the ground to become muddy or for a hole to appear and anything above, can just collapse,” he said.
The owner of the home, however, is under scrutiny from authorities. Police suspect that the pool was being operated without a permit and accuse a couple of negligent homicides, operating a business without a license, and money laundering.
Watch it here: Youtube/The National News
Sources: Westernjournal, Nypost, Thedailybeast