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Sinkhole swallows Florida man in his own bedroom

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Updated: 3/01 8:52 am
SEFFNER, Fla. (AP) -- A man is missing after a large sinkhole opened under the bedroom of a house near Tampa and his brother says the man screamed for help as the collapse happened.

The 36-year-old man's brother told rescue crews he heard a loud crash around 11 p.m. Thursday, then heard his brother screaming for help.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Jessica Damico says when the brother got there, the bedroom was gone and all he saw was part of a mattress sticking up.

There's been no contact with the man since then. Neighbors on both sides of the Seffner home have been evacuated.

Code enforcement deemed it unsafe for rescue workers to continue until engineers can determine the borders of the sinkhole. Damico says the sinkhole is estimated at about 100 feet across.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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tlynn - 3/1/2013 9:06 AM
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Good Lord, Talk about your worst nightmare! The earth opening up and swallowing you! Ouch! Prayers to the brothers and family.
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