300 evacuated as sinkhole shuts campsite

A sinkhole on Queensland's Sunshine Coast that swallowed a car, caravan and camping trailer is now estimated to be 200 metres long.

About 300 people have been evacuated to other campsites in the area and no injuries have been reported since the sinkhole opened at Inskip Point near Rainbow Beach, at about 11pm on Saturday.

 

 

It was initially estimated to be about 100 metres long.

Geotechnical engineers have completed an initial assessment and will conduct further inspections on Monday.

Queensland Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing is urging people to avoid the area, observe traffic barriers and warning signs.

Camper Melanie Wotherspoon described her horror in a Facebook post.

"Yep, can't believe we made it out," Ms Wotherspoon wrote.

"I thought we were gonners for sure, was truly scary how fast it came into our camp site and swallowed it up."

A woman ran through nearby campsites, screaming at people to wake up and get out, the ABC reports.

Police and SES crews raced to the site, where no one was reported injured or missing.

Up to 140 people were initially evacuated from the area, with another 160 campers evacuated on Sunday as a precaution.

The hole could be linked to a number of small earthquakes in the region in recent weeks.

In 2011 a similar sinkhole emerged at the same campsite. No injuries were reported in that case.

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