Sinkhole swallows 15 cars in IHOP parking lot

The patrons were forced to sit and watch as the massive cavity opened up in the parking lot of a brand new Mississippi restaurant popular with families.

The hole which is roughly 50 feet wide extends from the front of the building all the way to Sowashee Creek, almost 600 feet.

The IHOP restaurant just opened earlier this week.

Witnesses reported hearing a series of booms minutes before a large sinkhole swallowed several vehicles Saturday night in Meridian. We are talking 14 to 15 vehicles. “At this time, we are trying to stabilize this and keep everyone away”.

Customers at the Meridian, Miss., IHOP said they experienced what felt like an quake Saturday evening.

Emergency crews were called to the IHOP restaurant in the city of Meridian and discovered a section of the parking lot, about 35 feet wide and 400 feet long, had collapsed.

Action 2 News reached out to officials in Mississippi who said no seismic activity has been reported.

Authorities have not yet determined what caused the sinkhole, but the area has been hit with nearly 10 inches of rain in two weeks, WTOK reports.