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Sinkhole Swallows Car In Whittier

SOUTH WHITTIER (CBS) — A parked car dangled over a 12-foot sinkhole that also caused the evacuations of several homes in the unincorporated South Whittier area Tuesday.

Firefighters pulled the car clear of the sinkhole in the 13900 block of Coteau Drive, according to a witness.

There have been no injuries, said Deputy Kevin Gavaghan of the Norwalk Sheriff's Station.

Gavaghan said he could not immediately say what the cause of the sinkhole was, but one possibility was the soaked ground from the recent rains.

Running water could be seen at the bottom of the hole, according to a witness.

The car's driver, Brenda Majano, told KCAL 9's Suzie Suh she was lucky she was inside her home and not inside the car at the time the vehicle fell into the hole. "The car could have dropped on me," she said.

The car received major dent damage.

Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters were sent to the scene at 5:29 p.m, a dispatcher said.

(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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