The sinkhole that swallowed a Florida man under his home will be his final resting place after authorities called off recovery efforts Saturday evening.
The Tampa Bay Times reported officials ceased recovery efforts after determining the soil surrounding the home and sinkhole, about 15 miles east of Tampa in the town of Seffner, was too unstable to support attempts to find Jeffrey Bush's body.
Crews have instead made a decision to move forward with plans to demolish the four-bedroom home on Sunday to try to stabilize the sinkhole as it continues to grow. Two neighboring homes were also deemed compromised by the sinkhole.
"At this point, it's really not possible to recover the body," Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said, later adding "we're dealing with a very unusual sinkhole."
"We can no longer sustain the rescue effort. At this point, we have to move beyond the rescue to a demolition phase and securing the site," Merrill said.
Experts believe the sinkhole that developed under the home was one of the rarest kinds and often the most catastrophic.
Merrill said the sinkhole extends down 50 to 60 feet. Bush, 37, tumbled into the ground Thursday night after the sinkhole suddenly opened beneath his bedroom.
Sinkholes are a common feature of Florida's landscape. They are only one of many kinds of karst landforms, which include caves, disappearing streams, springs and underground drainage systems, all of which occur in the state.
According to the Hillsborough Property Appraiser's office, there are 678 properties in the county currently experiencing sinkhole activity. Another 558 properties have been repaired from sinkhole damage in the past.
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