Louisiana Sinkhole Swallows Trees: CAUGHT ON TAPE! [VIDEO & REPORT]

By Jobs & Hire Staff Reporter | Aug 22, 2013 01:59 PM EDT

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A large Louisiana swamp sinkhole swallowed several tall trees and land on Wednesday - the rare event was caught on tape.

The video captured by Assumption Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness officials featured the approximately 24-acre in size sinkhole, located in the middle of a densely wooded area in Assumption Parish, just 50 miles away from Baton Rouge.

The Parish Office staffers saw this unusual happening while examining the area at around 7:15 p.m.; they decided to record the everything right away.

"The sinkhole continues to be active and growing," Parish Office Director John Boudreaux told WBZ-TV, adding that they are currently planning an emergency route for Highway 70 in case the growth of the hole imposes danger to nearby homes.

The Louisiana sinkhole that swallowed several trees was only 400 feet deep and 372 feet in diameter when it was opened in August 2012, but now its parameters are indeterminate, for it is growing rapidly than it should.

The parish named the viral video as "slough-in" in its blog posts; regular updates on the Louisiana sinkhole's condition are regularly posted by the unit as well. The latest update, which shows the sinkhole bubbling up the combination of air and gas it has sucked from the atmosphere, is entitled "burp" and was posted early Wednesday.

On August 2, the Louisiana State sued Texas Brine LLC for the damages and hazards the sinkhole has caused the environment. It can be noted that the Louisiana tree-swallowing sinkhole was formed right after the company's salt dome cavern collapsed.

"We have already pushed for buyouts for affected residents and are undertaking a thorough review of all of Texas Brine's permits in our state," Bobby Jindal, Louisiana governor said. "This suit is just the next step in making sure Texas Brine does the right thing and properly addresses the mess it's caused."

According to the lawsuit, "The conduct and operations of the defendants resulted in the brine mining of the salt cavern to the point that the cavern became structurally unstable, thereby causing the collapse of the cavern and damage to Louisiana's waters, natural resources and the state's Coastal Zone."

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