Australian sinkhole: Campers’ lucky escape at Rainbow Beach

Fishermen quickly raised the alarm after spotting the sand moving out to sea and potentially saved hundreds of lives at the Inskip Point camp ground, in Queensland, Australia.

The sinkhole is now estimated to have swallowed 200 metres of beachfront.

Geotechnical engineer Allison Golsby advised sightseers to stay away from the hole.

“People were basically on the edge of it with their van, trying to madly get their vans out”, says camper Sylvia Murray.

“And suddenly there was this big sinkhole.”

Authorities ordered the evacuation of the area and warned the sinkhole could expand.

“Rather, it’s most likely a natural phenomenon caused by the undermining of part of the shoreline by rapid tidal flow, waves and currents”, she said.

“The recent natural disaster behaviour and what’s calling a sinkhole behaviour doesn’t actually correlate historically”.

Dieter and Jenny Gass escaped unscathed when a sinkhole swallowed their caravan.

“Sinkholes do occur naturally around Australia for different reasons”.

“The people who were actually asleep there, they could have died”, he said.

“That why we don’t camp right near the beach that’s happen at Easter this year”, said Sheryl Walshe.

The sinkhole incident indeed terrified other campers, as posted on ABC.

Despite the collapse happening so fast, the campers had the chance to leave and go to safer grounds.

Inskip Point has always been a popular tourist spot.

“OMG still can’t believe we got out, very scary”.

A woman ran through the camp sites screaming for people to wake up and get out.

A sinkhole opened up in the same site in 2011.

Ranger Dan Clifton told ABC his team had cordoned the area off and set up warning signs to alert beachgoers.