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Block-Long Sinkhole Swallows Cars in Baltimore

The sinkhole opened next to railroad tracks used by CSX in the first block of 26th Street in northeast Baltimore, Md.
Image: Heavy rains caused a landslide in Baltimore, Md., on Wednesday, April 30, 2014.
Heavy rains caused a landslide in Baltimore, Md., on Wednesday, April 30, 2014.Courtesy Stacey Mink

A block-long sinkhole opened up in a residential neighborhood in rain-soaked Baltimore on Wednesday, devouring cars and forcing the evacuation of several houses.

The sinkhole opened next to railroad tracks used by CSX in the first block of 26th Street in northeast Baltimore, the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management said. A photo uploaded to the Twitter account showed several cars swallowed in the pit.

CSX said an embankment collapsed onto the railroad tracks. It said rail traffic in the area has been suspended.

Residents in the rowhouses on the block were being evacuated and a building inspector was called to the scene, the fire department said.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said there were no injuries or fatalities.

Image: Cars sit on the edge of a sinkhole in the Charles Village neighborhood of Baltimore
Cars sit on the edge of a sinkhole in the Charles Village neighborhood of Baltimore, April 30, as heavy rain moved through the region.AP