A motorist has been left shocked after her car was partially swallowed by a sinkhole in suburban Perth overnight Thursday.
Bystander Tanya was having dinner at a tavern in the north-eastern suburb of Bennett Springs at about 7:30pm when she noticed a flooded area of road near a shopping centre.
"I went out to find the street covered in water," she said.
"We were standing there thinking who to call to get help when a car drove over the area and nosedived.
"Everyone around the area came running. We all tried to pull the car out but it was stuck."
Tanya said bystanders hauled the female driver out of the driver's seat.
"The young girl in the car was looking confused," she said.
"We yelled at her to climb up to the passenger door and they pulled her out.
"She was quite calm, not injured ... just a little shocked."
Water mains pipe burst
Authorities were alerted to the incident, but Tanya said it was some time before they were able to take control of the situation.
"It was ages before the water was shut off and they were able to pull the car out," she said.
Footage of the incident shows the dramatic moment when the small Honda Jazz appears to sink further into the bubbling sinkhole after the driver had escaped.
The car is later pulled out of the hole using a chain attached to a truck.
A WA Water Corporation spokesman said a water main had burst, and although it was not owned by the corporation, Water Corp staff had helped repair the damage.
"Our crews responded to lend a hand," he said.
"But it wasn't one of our assets — I think it was some sort of firefighting main owned by the shopping centre."
