WATCH | Giant sinkhole swallows refuse collection truck in Cape Town

The driver of a refuse collection truck partially swallowed by an apparent sinkhole in Cape Town was hospitalised for minor injuries on Monday.

Fire and rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said they were alerted to the road collapse in Lavender Hill just after 9am.

Wynberg fire and rescue services dispatched a technical rescue vehicle with a crane to extract the trapped vehicle.

Water and sanitation MMC Zahid Badroodien said the cause of the incident was under investigation. However, there were no visible signs of damage to the surface of the road.

“The affected area has been cordoned off for safety reasons. The main priority at this stage is to ensure the area is structurally safe to recover the vehicle and then the necessary assessment of the area can be done to determine the cause of the incident, among which is a sewer collapse,” said Badroodien.

“Contingency measures are being put in place to ensure minimal delays to refuse collection services in the area. Counselling is also available for staff if needed,” said MMC for urban waste management Grant Twigg.

Additional help was summoned to retrieve the truck and the scene secured by police and law enforcement officials.

“We urge residents to please stay away from the site for safety reasons. This request applies while the officials are recovering the vehicle and conducting the assessment as well as throughout the period when the remedial work is being done,” added Badroodien.

“Once the necessary assessment has been completed, the way forward to remedy the situation will be determined. We regret any inconvenience caused and ask the public to please co-operate with us during this time.” 

TimesLIVE