Sinkhole Eats Cars As Broken Water Main Floods Streets In South LA

South L.A. streets were flooded Friday morning after a water main broke earlier in the morning and created a giant sinkhole. TV news helicopters captured the extent of the flooding at East 55th Street and Towne Avenue, showing vehicles floating in the high water and some sinking into the hole.
Water main break and sinkhole on 55th Street and San Pedro Street @LADWP is working to stem the flow of water flooding the neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/zgdqEeDSfs
— Brian van der Brug (@bvdbrug) December 21, 2018
Video: This shot from NewsChopper4 shows how far water is flowing from the South LA water main break. https://t.co/rk7aVBKuV2 pic.twitter.com/2fBI3stdGX
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) December 21, 2018
Crews with the Los Angeles Department of Power responded and were able to shut off the water around 9 a.m. Both 55th and 56th streets are closed between Main Street and Avalon Boulevard, LADWP said.
A South LA water main break has left inches of sand and mud around E 55th and Towne Ave. It was reported at 5AM but residents tell me the streets were wet the night before. The water was shut off just after 9AM, but not before a sinkhole swallowed a parked truck. @KPCC @LAist pic.twitter.com/ghkvCbZNi6
— Caleigh Wells (@cgrey307) December 21, 2018
LADWP says 75 households are without water after a 24-inch pipe ruptured and crews are working to restore service for them.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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