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Locals baffled as enormous 650ft deep sinkhole mysteriously appears
…and it’s getting BIGGER all the time
Olivia Burke
15:33, 2 Aug 2022, Updated: 9:10, 3 Aug 2022
The Scottish Sun
LOCALS have been left baffled after an enormous sinkhole mysteriously appeared in northern Chile - that is still growing.
The 650ft deep and 82ft wide pit bizarrely emerged on Saturday in the commune of Tierra Amarilla in the Atacama Region.
The sinkhole bizarrely formed on Saturday in a mining area of northern ChileCredit: Newsflash
The strange phenomenon is still growing, leaving experts and locals baffledCredit: Reuters
The terrifying sinkhole is thought to be more than 650ft deep and is still swelling - leaving authorities "very worried".
Staggering aerial images released by Chilean media show the vastness of the strange phenomenon which has left experts stumped.
The extraordinary sinkhole has formed on an area of land about 413 miles north of the capital Santiago, operated by Canadian mining firm, Lundin Mining.
Specialists have been sent to the site to survey the area after the National Service of Geology and Mining, Sernageomin, were alerted.
The agency's director David Montenegro explained: "There is a considerable distance, approximately 200 metres (656ft), to the bottom.
"We haven’t detected any material down there, but we have seen the presence of a lot of water."
Chileans living nearby have been left horrified by the expanding sinkhole after officials confirmed it is still growing.
Local mayor Cristobal Zuniga said: "Yesterday [Saturday, 30th July] we received a citizen complaint regarding a sinkhole that occurred here in our community near the Alcaparrosa mine.
"We are concerned, since it is a fear that we have always had as a community, the fact we are surrounded by mining deposits and subterranean works under our community.
"It is still active, it is still growing and it is something that has not previously been seen in our community."
It is still active, it is still growing and it is something that has not previously been seen in our community.
However, there is no official confirmation yet that the sinkhole was caused by activities related to mining.
The staggering sinkhole is connected to a copper mine on the site operated by Lundin Mining. Credit: Reuters
In a statement on Monday, Lundin Mining insisted the sinkhole did not affect any workers or community members.
They said it had "remained stable" since it was first detected on Saturday.
The statement added: "The closest home is more than 600 meters away while any populated area or public service are almost a kilometer away from the affected zone."
The company are also reportedly conducting a technical analysis to determine the cause of the colossal hole.
Lundin Mining owns 80 percent of the property, while the rest is held by Japan's Sumitomo Corporation.
The deepest sinkhole ever recorded was in the Chongqing district of China, that measured a whopping 2,171 feet deep and 6735 metres wide.
MEANWHILE IN MONTANA:
A handful of cows found their way into a newly built home
and lived in it for a month before being noticed.
Ah! That fresh mountain air!
The family was moving from Washington. The Aunt was supposed to be checking on the place, but she didn’t.
A rancher had filed a report about missing some cattle and even checked their barn, but not the house.
They think a bad storm sent them looking for cover. They also think the storm blew a door in or somehow one of the cows nudged one open.
Glad I'm not on the clean-up crew!
Alex Jones ordered to pay $45.2M more over Sandy Hook lies
By JIM VERTUNO
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury on Friday ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of a child who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, adding to the $4.1 million he must pay for the suffering he put them through by claiming for years that the nation’s deadliest school shooting was a hoax.
The total — $49.3 million — is less than the $150 million sought by Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son Jesse Lewis was among the 20 children and six educators killed in the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut. But the trial marks the first time Jones has been held financially liable for peddling lies about the massacre, claiming it was faked by the government to tighten gun laws.
That was just for one child! What if the remaining 25 victim's families sue Jones? He must be more than a little anxious right now, as he should be.
It is good to see the jurors hold broadcasters responsible for telling flat-out lies. Perhaps it will put the fear-of-God into other journalists who have little regard for the truth or the feelings of the families of victims of horrible crimes.
Afterward, Lewis said that Jones — who wasn’t in the courtroom to hear the verdict — has been held accountable. She said when she took the stand and looked Jones in the eye, she thought of her son, who was credited with saving lives by yelling “run” when the killer paused in his rampage.
“He stood up to the bully Adam Lanza and saved nine of his classmates’ lives,” Lewis said. “I hope that I did that incredible courage justice when I was able to confront Alex Jones, who is also a bully. I hope that inspires other people to do the same.”
It could be a while before the plaintiffs collect anything. Jones’ lead attorney, Andino Reynal, told the judge he will appeal and ask the courts to drastically reduce the size of the verdict.
After the hearing, Reynal said he thinks the punitive amount will be reduced to as little as $1.5 million.
’We think the verdict was too high. ... Alex Jones will be on the air today, he’ll be on the air tomorrow, he’ll be on the air next week. He’s going to keep doing his job holding the power structure accountable.”
Jones’ companies and personal wealth could also get carved up by other lawsuits and bankruptcy. Another defamation lawsuit against Jones by a Sandy Hook family is set to start pretrial hearings in the same Austin court on Sept. 14. He faces yet another defamation lawsuit in Connecticut.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Bankston said he believes he can challenge any attempt to reduce the damages. But he said even if the award is drastically cut, it’s just as important to take the big verdict into the bankruptcy court for the family to claim against Jones’ estate and company.
Jones testified this week that any award over $2 million would “sink us.” His company Free Speech Systems, which is Infowars’ Austin-based parent company, filed for bankruptcy protection during the first week of the trial.
Punitive damages are meant to punish defendants for particularly egregious conduct, beyond monetary compensation awarded to the individuals they hurt. A high punitive award is also seen as a chance for jurors to send a wider societal message and a way to deter others from the same abhorrent conduct in the future.
Barry Covert, a Buffalo, New York, First Amendment lawyer with no connection to the Jones case, said the total damages awarded amount to “a stunning loss for Jones.”
“With $50 million in all, the jury has sent a huge, loud message that this behavior will not be tolerated,” Covert said. “Everyone with a show like this who knowingly tells lies — juries will not tolerate it.”
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