Residents evacuated after giant sinkhole appears in Villerupt

A large hole that suddenly appeared last week in Villerupt, in the French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, has raised many concerns as it continues to expand. The hole, which appeared near a house, prompted the evacuation of residents and further investigations.

The incident occurred on Thursday, 2 January, on Rue François Raspail. According to reports from Le Républicain Lorrain, teams from the operator Veolia were working to fix a water leak when the ground unexpectedly gave way. The hole, which measures almost 2.5 metres deep, spanned both the pavement and the driveway of a house.

As a precaution, a safety perimeter was established, and one nearby house was evacuated. Another house close to the site was already unoccupied.

The collapse also caused a gas leak, leaving around 50 people without heating, though the issue was quickly resolved. By Tuesday morning, as reported by our colleagues from RTL Infos, the hole had grown even larger, nearly tripling in size.

© Mobile reporter

Audrey, 32, a local resident, shared her account with France Bleu. She had received an alert earlier that day notifying her that water service would be interrupted due to nearby construction work. Later that night, at around 4am, she and her family were awakened by the fire brigade. "The concrete collapsed," Audrey explained, adding, "It seems they discovered a large water leak that had been there for some time and had washed away the earth beneath the concrete. With a large area of soil missing, the ground gave way."

An emergency meeting was convened with representatives from the town hall, the French Gas Distribution Network (GRDF), Veolia, the sub-prefecture, and specialists from the Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM) to address the situation. According to Le Républicain Lorrain, initial assessments suggest that the collapse may be of karstic origin, a phenomenon caused by the dissolution of limestone beneath the surface.

The growing hole has raised concerns not only for nearby residents but also for the wider community. On social media, some locals have recalled Villerupt's mining history and the network of galleries that still exist beneath the town. This is not the first time a cave-in has occurred in the area.

Mayor Pierrick Spizak explained that residents would need to remain patient as experts continue their investigations. "The studies will determine whether the fault will extend or if it is concentrated in a small area," he said. "We also need to understand the nature of the ground, which is why this process is taking time." Spizak added that it could take up to three or four weeks before residents see any significant progress. "Until the experts' conclusions are in, we cannot proceed with filling the hole as we would like," he noted in an interview with France Bleu.