Man swallowed by Florida sinkhole feared dead

A 36-year-old man is feared dead after a 50-foot sinkhole opened up beneath his bedroom in Hillsborough County, Florida,  swallowing him beneath dirt and rubble.

Fire Rescue officials said the man was sleeping in his bed in his home in an unincorporated section of the county about 11.05pm (local time) when the ground began to collapse beneath him.

Emergency responders have suspended rescue operations because the ground is too unstable and are awaiting engineers to assess the situation.

"He's down there but we can't hear anything and we can't see anything," said Ronnie Rivera, a Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokesman. "We can't confirm anything but it's been several hours."

The victim screamed for help and his brother, Jeremy Bush jumped in to try to save him but was unsuccessful.

Bush tried again using a shovel to dig but was pulled out by deputies as he was being sucked into the hole, Rivera said.

"I know in my heart he's dead," Bush told television reporters on scene.

About five other people reportedly lived inside the home, which has been occupied by the same family since 1974. The residents were taken to a local hotel and were given food.

Rescuers used a wire camera to try to find the victim but the ground continued to crumble and they had to abandon the operation. Rivera said they lost equipment in the dirt.

Surrounding homes were evacuated but the hole is confined to the one house.

As of 2.30am (local time) the hole was estimated to be 50 feet wide and 50 feet deep, he said.

"It's just a freaky call," Rivera said. "We just can't do anything."

Sinkholes are not uncommon, but local historians said this is the first time they can remember a loss of human life, said Sherry Lewis of the Orange County Regional History Center.