A mother and her two young children escaped Thursday evening after their van fell into a flooded sinkhole.
The driver told CTV she was making a left turn off Saskatoon’s 45th Street West, at Hanselman Avenue, when the van hit the sinkhole. She tried to avoid the water but the ground collapsed underneath her vehicle.
Her kids — a one-year-old boy and three-year-old boy — were sleeping in the backseat.
The city said the road was blocked off.
A witness, who said he was driving behind the van and saw the vehicle plunge into the hole, claimed barricades blocked the road but that only pylons were placed in front of the sinkhole.
The incident occurred around 4:45 p.m. The witness said he and other drivers pulled over immediately. He helped the mother and two boys escape the van.
The three weren't injured, but visibly shaken up.
People who work in the area told CTV they phoned police earlier in the day to report what they assumed was a water main break.
Police said city crews responded to the scene. The city said crews are investigating what may have caused water to build up on the street.
The van was pulled from the sinkhole just before 6 p.m.
--- CORRECTION: CTV first reported that witnesses claimed there were no blockades in the area. The road was, in fact, blocked, according to the city. A witness told CTV barricades blocked the road but that only pylons were placed in front of the sinkhole.
