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People asked to evacuate homes after sinkhole in Palm Springs

People couldn't access their residence after officials blocked access to road Tuesday night
A sinkhole at Florida Mango Road and Waterside Drive in Palm Springs on April 10, 2024.jpg
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PALM SPRINGS, Fla. — A ruptured line caused a portion of a Palm Springs roadway to collapse Tuesday night, the Lake Worth Beach utilities director said Wednesday.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said it found theTuesday night near Florida Mango Road and Waterside Drive.

People couldn't access their homes because officials blocked the road while another individual said personnel asked her to evacuate her property.

Officials from the Palm Springs Police Department and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office were at the scene, north of 10th Avenue North and west of Interstate 95.

Annalie Albelo, who lives next to the sinkhole, said she saw the hole after a neighbor woke her up from a nap. She said Palm Beach County Fire Rescue asked her to evacuate.

Annalie Albelo, who lives next to the sinkhole in Palm Springs, says she believes a construction crew hit a sewer line because it smelled bad. April 9, 2024
Annalie Albelo, who lives next to the sinkhole in Palm Springs, says she believes a construction crew hit a sewer line because it smelled bad. April 9, 2024

"My only thought, my only priority was just gathering up my pets and like my important documents, my most valuable belongings and immediately getting out of there," Albelo said. "Obviously, we can replace ... material things."

She said she believed a construction crew hit a sewer line because it smelled bad. Albelo said she didn't know when she'd return to her home.

"Think is my first time for a sinkhole experience," she said. "I'm a sinkhole novice. But, it's my understanding that sinkholes can worsen over the course of several months or a year. So I'm concerned about my property."

Lauren Bennett, the assistant parks and recreation director for Palm Springs, told WPTV that the broken pipe is the property of the city of Lake Worth Beach and referred all inquiries to the utilities director there.