A mother and daughter were rescued unharmed after their car was swallowed by a sinkhole caused by intense rains in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, early Tuesday morning.

The sinkhole opened up beneath their 2010 Volkswagen Jetta at around 5:30 a.m., but despite the spectacular nature of the incident, the car remained right-side-up and the mother and her young daughter were not injured.

Firefighters and Civil Protection rescuers arrived on the scene to find the two on top of their car, which was surrounded by water and mud at the bottom of the hole, which was more than five meters below street level.

The two were quickly rescued and sent to hospital for medical evaluations, and the area was cordoned off to allow authorities to remove the car.

A representative of the local water authority said the sinkhole opened up due to outdated infrastructure, as the over 40-year-old drainage system in the neighborhood where it occurred is in need of maintenance.

Local media reported that Tuesday morning’s incident was not the first time a sinkhole has opened up at that particular intersection due to heavy rains.

The inclement weather continued into Tuesday morning and afternoon, and other sinkholes were also reported in the city, as well as the flooding of major roads. The public was been alerted to take extreme caution.

The municipal government announced that the route to the local airport along the highway to Monterrey will be closed for two and a half months in order to carry out repairs and avoid a possible collapse there in the future.

Sources: El Financiero (sp), Hoy Tamaulipas (sp), Milenio (sp)