In what initially appeared to be a pothole, spread into a massive sinkhole causing the closure of the Rideau street, downtown, Ottawa.
10.30 am ET, Wednesday was a turning point that recorded the closure of one of the busiest streets and shopping Malls (Rideau Centre) in Ottawa. Located downtown Ottawa and close to the popular University of Ottawa, the Rideau Street boasts of more than 3 major financial institutions, a highbrow shopping mall and just a stone throw from the Parliament Hill (the Canada's seat of power). These features make it one of the spots to be for every tourist in Ottawa.
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However, its lively nature came to a halt and was replaced by gushing streams of water flowing through the street as of the time of writing this post. The sinkhole was first witnessed on the Rideau Street point that interconnects with Sussex drive, near downtown construction site for a light rail project proposed to be opened by 2017. Within a blink of an eye, the hole grew and took over the whole street, sucking in a van and many other structures around the affected site.
There is however no recorded human causality nor has any building has noticeably been adversely affected, but there are cases of gas leakages causing power outage in the affected areas.
City Councillor for Ottawa, Mathieu Fleury has released a statement calling on people "to stay outside of the area until further notice," noting that "public safety is [the] key factor".
Although there is no official confirmation yet, it is suspected that the sinkhole is partly caused by the underground light rail construction.
Here is how sinkholes happen
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