15 Cars Were Swallowed By A Giant Sinkhole In An IHOP Parking Lot

Nov. 09, 2015 5:00 AM ET by Jay Traugott / 24 Comments

People only wanted pancakes.

Last Saturday night pancake lovers at a recently opened Meridian, Mississippi, IHOP restaurant got more than just a case of satisfied munchies. A giant sinkhole, measuring about 50 feet wide, 600 feet long, and at least 20 feet deep, suddenly opened in the parking lot and swallowed an estimated 15 cars. Fortunately no one was hurt but, technically speaking, this isn't really a sinkhole at all. According to the city's public safety director, a sinkhole is typically the result of an underground water aquifer that dries and leaves a void in the ground. That's not the case here.

OK, so is this crack in the Earth just a massive ditch? Possibly, but city engineers are taking a closer look as we speak and yes, the cars are still stuck. Funnily enough, that IHOP had just opened earlier in the week. Not exactly the grand opening management was hoping for. Photos courtesy of KSLA News.

15 Cars Were Swallowed By A Giant Sinkhole In An IHOP Parking Lot

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