The sudden nightmare of sinkholes swallows cars and homes and can cause the loss of life. The phenomena occurs due to erosion beneath the surface, causing a collapse, for many reasons including flooding and heavy rain, excessive water pumping, water main breaks, earthquakes and construction.
Here, a giant sinkhole caused by the rains of Tropical Storm Agatha is seen in Guatemala City, May 31, 2010.
More than 94,000 people were evacuated as the storm buried homes under mud, swept away a highway bridge near Guatemala City and opened up sinkholes in the capital.