AP News 2/22/07

A 330-feet-deep sinkhole swallowed about a dozen homes early Friday in a crowded Guatemala City neighborhood, killing at least two teenagers and forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people.

Officials said recent rains and an underground sewage flow from a ruptured main caused the sinkhole.

The pit emitted foul odors, loud noises and tremors, shaking the surrounding ground. A rush of water could be heard from its depths and authorities feared it could widen or others could open up.

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Rescue operations were on hold until a firefighter, suspended from a cable, could take video and photos above the hole and officials could use the results to decide how to move forward.

Emergency spokesman Juan Carlos Bolanos identified the dead as Irma and David Soyos. Their bodies were found near the sinkhole, floating in a river of sewage. Their father, Domingo, was still missing, according to national disaster coordinator Hugo Hernandez.