A Mysterious Sinkhole in Gensan

Disaster officials are still puzzled on a deep hole suspected

sinkhole at Purok Tinago, a community of informal settlers in
Barangay South Dadiangas, General Santos City. Local reports said
the underwater hole continues to eat into the shores and gobble
their homes. The suspected sinkhole, which was initially estimated
at around 40 meters in diameter, emerged february 2015,
prompting the city government to order the forced evacuation of 46
families settled near the area. The 206 evacuees are currently
taking temporary shelter at the covered court of the Irineo Santiago
National High School here.

Roger Tamayo, MGB-12 mining engineer, said their initial

assessment showed that the huge hole that developed at the shores
of Purok Tinago in Barangay Dadiangas South here could have been
caused by the degeneration of coralline limestones situated
underneath the areas shoreline. The giant hole has even swallowed a
fish aggregating device deployed some 50 meters away from the
shore. He said the breakdown of the limestones might have
triggered the erosion of its sand covering that eventually appeared
liked that of a sinkhole. He said its likely cause could be coastal
erosion as it appeared that there is already a pattern of such
phenomenon in the area.