Giant cave-in swallows cars in IHOP parking lot in US

Up to 15 cars have been swallowed by a huge sinkhole in an parking area of a new American restaurant chain in the US state of Mississippi, media reports said today.
A large sinkhole opened in a new International House of Pancakes (IHOP) restaurant parking lot in Meridian, Mississippi on Saturday evening, swallowing as many as 15 cars, officials said.
The asphalt gave way, leaving a huge hole estimated to be about 35-feet wide, 375-feet long and 30-feet deep, they said.
Local TV station KSLA quoted witnesses as hearing a series of booms before power went out and the cave-in.

Another station, WTOK, said emergency responders were called out to the scene about 7:15 pm. Officials told the station that about 15 vehicles were submerged in mud and paving but that no one appeared to have been hurt.
Emergency officials roped off the area to keep people away.

Mayor Percy Bland said the cave-in appears to be over the site of a former city culvert. Crews will begin trying to remove some of the cars later today, the mayor added.
Craig Hoffman, a spokesman for IHOP, told CNN the company is happy no one got hurt.
"The cause of the sinkhole is still under investigation, and our primary concern continues to be the safety of our guests and team members," Hoffman said.

"The restaurant will remain closed until all necessary repairs have been completed," he added.
IHOP is a US-based multinational restaurant chain that specializes in breakfast foods.