Story By: Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
This is the moment a Brazilian motorist drives over a large puddle in the road only to discover it is a flooded sinkhole as he plunges bonnet-first into the deep water.
The bizarre incident was filmed on Santa Luzia Avenue in the neighbourhood of Igapo in the city of Natal located in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte at around 7am of 16th May.
In the footage, the driver is seen approaching the large ‘puddle’ and slowing down to a near stop before deciding to literally ‘test the water’.

However, the front of the car sinks into the hole and the vehicle is momentarily stuck in an upright position.
The car’s back end then drops, making it easier for two onlookers to assist the passengers out of the vehicle.
According to reports, the sinkhole appeared after an underground water pipe burst. However, the hapless motorist had no idea the ‘puddle’ was in fact a water-filled chasm.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, told local media: “It was filled with water and there was no warning sign. When I entered the street, I drove into the hole and the car started to sink. It was very shocking at the time.”
He said his young stepdaughter was with him in the car because they were making their way to school at the time of the incident.
Despite the scare, local reports said both escaped from the vehicle unharmed and the car owner’s insurance claim is already underway.

It is unclear if the local authorities are investigating the burst water pipe and why a warning sign was not displayed at the scene.