Rescuers in
Melbourne said a woman who was hanging laundry
on a clothesline in her back yard suddenly fell into
a 10 feet sinkhole and had to tread water at the
bottom of the sinkhole. UPI reports:
Melissa Beaumont said her mother,
Christina Beaumont, 52, was visiting an
elderly friend to help with household chores
Tuesday when she fell into the backyard
sinkhole.
Emergency responders said it was about 20
minutes before a neighbor heard her
screams and called for help.
Ambulance Victoria paramedic Stephanie
Palamberis said Beaumont landed in water.
"At one stage her head was under the
water," Palamberis told The Age. "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."
Country Fire Authority operations officer
Paul Carrig told news.com.au Beaumont
"escaped without injury" but "was obviously
shaken up" by her ordeal.
Melissa Beaumont said her mother collapsed
soon after returning home and was
hospitalized with symptoms of shock.
A spokeswoman for the Greater Dandenong
City Council said the sinkhole was caused by
an old well on the property not being
properly filled in when it was covered.

Posted By David Aniemeka