MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — Crews have repaired a water main break that caused a sinkhole and had left residents in the area without water.
By Tuesday morning, a metal sheet covered the gaping hole in the street and water was restored to residents. "It's like the whole city came to the corner," said resident Tony Benito. "It was really quiet but everybody came together."
"We got our water back on about 12 o'clock last night," Craig Hare, a resident said.
About 500 residents had been left without water on Monday afternoon in the area of 8435 Crespi Boulevard in Miami Beach. According to city officials, workers using construction equipment accidentally caused two cracks in a water main.
Neighbors in the area said ongoing water and storm drain work has been a headache. "A lot of us are extremely angry, to say the least," said a resident.
A yellow Toyota sports car got caught in a sinkhole. According to the driver, he said he was at a stop sign when the car began to sink. The driver attempted to drive off but realized he was stuck. He was able to step out of the car with no injuries.
"This is crazy, I've never seen this before," said a resident who lives in the area and witnessed the incident.
The street cracks has caused the sand used for fill to spread into nearby canals.
Miami Beach officials said they believe the whole thing was caused by construction equipment that hit the water main, causing the water to gush below the roadway and then to leak.
The incident temporarily forced the shutdown of water service in the area. "I have no water right now," said a resident.
Crews worked around the clock to fix the broken water main.
According to city officials, the contractor responsible is DMSI. The city is working with the contractor to figure out what happened.
A 55-year-old pipe was pulled out and is said to be the cause of the incident. Crews are going to replace the entire pipe underneath the street.
Officials said the water service was restored by midnight but a boil water advisory remains in effect for residents in the area until further notice.
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