Huge sinkhole caused by mine collapse in Ireland

A mine collapse in County Monaghan, Ireland, caused a large sinkhole to emerge on a football pitch.

According to Mining company Gyproc, the transportation and storage of water in a previously unused part of the mine provoked pillar collapse. The affected area (disturbance zone) is approximately 120 m². The subsidence on the top of the ground has damaged 5 houses except for the football field. Furthermore, Gyproc representatives state that: "Within the 120-meter radius area there is the possibility of further subsidence as the grounds settle over the coming weeks." The company appears confident that the disturbance will be limited within this radius.

The disturbed area and some roads will remain closed for the next weeks in Monaghan County. The Football club's owner, Francis Jones, said: "It's just total devastation, surreal. You would not believe what you were seeing, you would think it was something out of a film you were looking at." He also claimed that it would take about 5 years for the football club to reconstruct its facilities.

Gyproc will continue monitoring the area until the phenomenon stabilizes. Then recommendations to address the issue will be made. "We plan to have the results of this investigation next week at which point we will share with the relevant authorities along with our recommendations. The company is taking all precautions and continues to monitor the wider area to ensure this remains the case," Gyproc stated.