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Woman in El Paso rescued from car moments before it's swallowed up by sinkhole

Woman rescued before sinkhole swallows car
Woman pulled from car moments before it's swallowed by a sinkhole in El Paso 01:04

A woman trapped in her car at an intersection in El Paso, Texas, was rescued on Tuesday evening just moments before her vehicle was mostly swallowed up by a sinkhole. 

Video filmed by Enrique Duenas-Aguilar, the public information officer with the El Paso Fire Department, shows the small white sedan submerged and sinking in water on Tuesday at an intersection in the city. As some bystanders and firefighters appear to use tools to keep the backend of the car somewhat above water, others are seen pulling the woman out of the car's rear windshield. 

Earlier, EPFD crews successfully rescued a woman from a car that fell into a sinkhole on Yandell and Gateway South....

Posted by El Paso Fire Department on Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Moments later, the rushing water drags down most of the car. Within a few minutes, the car is almost totally in the sinkhole, with only the very back of the trunk visible above water. 

Duenas-Aguilar told Storyful that the incident happened at around 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday at the intersection of Gateway South and Yandell Drive. Three firefighters who responded were treated for minor injuries from when they broke the back window and the woman in the car was transported to medical care in stable condition with minor injuries, he said. 

Additional video from the scene shows part of the road completely covered in mud and water and a traffic light that leads to a nearby highway knocked down. 

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