Some of life's greatest mysteries lie right below our own two feet.
In addition to volcanoes, earthquakes, and avalanches, there are holes in the ground all around the world that leave people wondering, "What's in there and how did it get there?"
Some holes have logical explanations, like this hole in the ground that contains an entire village — but many more are a complete mystery.
And when I saw a hole so big that it was able to swallow 14 cars completely, I couldn't believe my eyes. These shocking photos have truly left me wondering what exactly is going on underneath my feet.
It was just an ordinary day at an International House of Pancakes in Meridian, Mississippi. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a loud "boom" and the unthinkable happened: the earth began to give way, leaving an unbelievably large hole where a parking lot once sat…
Have you ever seen anything quite like this? Let us know in the comments.
h/t NBC News/The Meridian Star/The New York Times
Diners at a new IHOP in Meridian, MS, received an incredible shock while they were eating inside. Gwendolyn Fikes told the Meridian Star, 'We'd been in there about three minutes. Then everything went black and we heard a boom.'
With the enormous sound and the electricity suddenly going out, people rushed outside of the IHOP to find that an incredible hole had opened up in the ground, swallowing at least 14 full vehicles.
Patrol Lieutenant Rita Jack told NBC News, 'We received a call of vehicles going through the pavement at the IHOP in Meridian. When we arrived on scene, 14 to 15 vehicles that we could see had fallen roughly 30 feet into the ground. We expect that there may be more and that they may fall further into the ground because there is only mud underneath.'
The officer continued, 'The sinkhole is huge... Imagine a football field cut in half... It is very scary. We are so fortunate that no injuries were sustained. We are gonna keep it under observation until we know that it is clear and safe.'
The New York Times reported on the unbelievable size of the hole as being 'about 35 feet wide and 400 feet long.' Investigators are still trying to figure out exactly what caused the earth to suddenly collapse, but they say that it is technically not a sinkhole.
Meridian Public Safety Director Buck Roberts told the Meridian Star, 'You can call it what you want, a cave-in or whatever, but it is not a sinkhole.' Sinkholes are typically caused by erosion, while this gaping hole appears to have some other unknown cause.
Quite luckily, no one was injured. However, emergency crews are still trying to figure out how to remove the sunken vehicles. Rain has made the process difficult, but authorities expect the process to begin in the next several days.
This sudden and shocking hole certainly proved to be an enormous surprise to the diners and employees of the Meridian IHOP. And the scope of the hole truly does remind us that we don't always know what might be going on right below our two feet.
What do you think of this massive, shocking hole? What would you do if you came out of a restaurant and saw a sight like this? Let us know in the comments.
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