Residents of Pachuca, Hidalgo, are demanding government action almost five years after a sinkhole opened up in the northeastern neighborhood of Minerva.

They complained that the street remains closed and that the hole is affecting the lives and safety of over 1,000 citizens who live in the area.

Nery Silva Martínez, who has lived nearby since the ground collapsed, said that the sinkhole initially measured 12 meters in diameter and 25 meters deep.

After four and a half years of negligence, it has now grown to 40 meters in diameter and 100 meters deep.

Silva said that the sinkhole was partially repaired but the work was never finished, and the growing pit has only become more dangerous in the meantime. She and other residents have asked the government to repair the sinkhole many times but their calls have not been heeded.

The hole forces neighbors to take longer routes to avoid the hazard and blocks access to emergency services.

On February 12 state Deputy Roxana Montealegre submitted a request to Governor Omar Fayad and the mayors of Pachuca and the neighboring city of Mineral de la Reforma that the government reveal the results of a geological survey of the opening.

Having received no response, they threatened to protest outside the state claims court in Pachuca to demand that the problem be resolved.

Source: El Universal (sp), La Silla Rota (sp)