Man killed as sinkhole opens under swimming pool in Israel

One man is dead after a large sinkhole opened under an in-ground swimming pool at a house party in Israel on Thursday.

The victim, who has since been identified as Klil Kimhi, 32, was attending a corporate event in the town of Karmi Yosef, 40 kilometres southeast of Tel Aviv, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Another unnamed 34-year-old man was also injured when the sinkhole opened, and he was treated by medical officers for minor injuries to his head and limbs. In terrifying video footage of the incident, people in bathing suits can be heard shouting as they watch the pool’s water quickly disappear into the sinkhole.

A man is seen in the video struggling to stay standing in the emptying pool before he slips in the direction of the sinkhole, narrowly avoiding being swallowed. He returns to his feet as several pool floaties are sucked into the hole and other swimmers push themselves outside the pool to sit on its edge.

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Rescue teams were called to the home. They attempted to save Kimhi, but declared the man dead when his body was found at the end of the 15-metre-deep sinkhole, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Police have yet to reveal the exact cause of Kimhi’s death.

According to the BBC, a couple in their 60s who own the property with the swimming pool were arrested on suspicion of causing death by negligence.

The Times of Israel reported that police are opening an investigation into Kimhi’s death. Authorities are looking into whether the swimming pool was properly licensed.

Sinkholes are also commonplace and naturally occurring in Canada. According to the government of Ontario, if a sinkhole opens in your area, you should evacuate the premises as quickly as possible and call local authorities.