Sinkhole opens and swallows woman in her backyard

A 52-year old mother, Christina Beaumont has been swallowed by a 3m deep sink hole after it opened up beneath her while she was hanging her clothes out to dry in her backyard in Melbourne, Australia.
 

Reports said the mother-of-six, was in the hole filled with water for up to 20 minutes neighbours heard her cries for help and called the fire brigade.

She was later heaved out of the hole with ropes.

Paramedic Stephanie Palamberis told ABC news:

 ‘The woman told us she was hanging washing out in the backyard at about 11.30am when the ground gave way,’ 

 ‘She fell with the dirt and mud, dropping about three metres and landing in waist-deep water.
‘At one stage her head was under the water.

‘The woman told us she couldn’t touch the bottom of the hole, so was trying to swim and stay afloat to avoid the risk of further mud collapse.’

Ms Beaumont reportedly collapsed in her home after she was rescued but medics said her condition was not critical.

Engineers are now looking into what caused the 60cm-wide sinkhole although there are suggestions that it could be the site of an old well.