Two Russian men dead after freak accident with burst water pipe

The car was removed from the hole with a crane.
The car was removed from the hole with a crane. Photo credit: Getty

Two men are dead after their car fell into a sinkhole filled with scalding water. 

The pair was driving through the Russian city of Penza on Tuesday when the road beneath them collapsed, sending their car into the sinkhole.

They were trapped in the vehicle as it was sprayed with hot water. 

A crane was used to remove the car, but it was too late to save the occupants, reports local media Penza Vzglyad.

A burst hot-water pipe under the ground caused the sinkhole. The 75 degree Celsius water would have washed away the dirt and asphalt until it was dangerously weak, according to the regions traffic agency.

The sinkhole
The sinkhole Photo credit: Getty

"As a result of soil erosion, the road surface collapsed adjacent to the roadway on 37a Austrina Street, along with the Lada Largus car," it is quoted as saying. 

Another car narrowly avoided falling into the hole.

"The driver saw that steam had gone out of the ground and quickly drove away," one local told Penza Vzglyad.

"Then [this car] arrived, parked and the asphalt fell under it."

The city's Mayor, Andrei Luzgin, said the victim's families would be assisted.

"I express my deepest condolences to their family and friends," he said on Tuesday.

"The necessary assistance will be provided to them."