THE deadly sinkhole that swallowed a man as he slept has finally been revealed.
The six-metre wide sinkhole opened without warning underneath Jeff Bush's bedroom on Sunday (AEST). Jeremy Bush, 35, tried to reach his brother, 37, but he was helpless and had to be saved himself by Sheriff's Duty Deputy Douglas Duvall.
The sinkhole was shown for the first time as crews razed more than half of the home in Brandon, in Tampa's Hillsborough County, Florida.
"I feel like they could have tried harder to get my brother out of there," Bush said. "That was my brother. No one is even talking about what my mom and dad are going through. They don't want to be on camera. My mom and dad are going through hell right now.
"I want some kind of memories of him (Jeff Bush)," his brother said. "I want his hats. I want his clothes. I want anything that was in his room.""
The home had been owned by Leland Wicker, Rachel's grandfather, since the 1970s.
The operator of the heavy equipment worked gingerly, first taking off a front wall. Family belongings were scooped onto the lawn gently in hopes of salvaging parts of the family's 40-year history in the home.
As of yesterday, a Bible, family photos, a jewelry box and a pink teddy bear for Hannah were among the items saved. Firefighters also were able to pick out the purse of one of the women in the home.
Cheers went up from family, friends and neighbours each time something valuable was salvaged.
Wanda Carter, the daughter of Leland Wicker, cradled the large family Bible in her arms. She said her mother and father had stored baptism certificates, cards and photos between the pages of that Bible over the years.
"It means that God is still in control, and He knew we needed this for closure,'' she said, crying.
Carter said she spent from age 11 to 20 in the home, and she had to close her eyes as the home was knocked down.
"Thank you for all of the memories and life it gave us,'' she said.
Crews wanted to clear the house so they could better see the depth of the problem and determine how many other homes could be in danger. Authorities have yet to say how far the depths could have extended.
A second sinkhole appeared in the Tampa area today, kilometres from the one that opened beneath Bush.
The latest sinkhole opened between two homes and was about 3.6 metres round, 1 metre deep around the edge and about 1.5 metres deep in the centre, said Hillsborough County spokesman Willie Puz.
"It is not geologically connected (to the deadly sinkhole)," Puz said.
The six-metre wide sinkhole opened without warning underneath Jeff Bush's bedroom on Sunday (AEST). Jeremy Bush, 35, tried to reach his brother, 37, but he was helpless and had to be saved himself by Sheriff's Duty Deputy Douglas Duvall.
The sinkhole was shown for the first time as crews razed more than half of the home in Brandon, in Tampa's Hillsborough County, Florida.
"I want some kind of memories of him (Jeff Bush)," his brother said. "I want his hats. I want his clothes. I want anything that was in his room.""
Jeff Bush is presumed dead after he disappeared when a large sinkhole opened under his bedroom. (AP Photo/Jeremy Bush, HO)
The operator of the heavy equipment worked gingerly, first taking off a front wall. Family belongings were scooped onto the lawn gently in hopes of salvaging parts of the family's 40-year history in the home.
As of yesterday, a Bible, family photos, a jewelry box and a pink teddy bear for Hannah were among the items saved. Firefighters also were able to pick out the purse of one of the women in the home.
A clearly distraught Jeremy Bush prays as he speaks to the media as demolition continues at the home of his brother, Jeff Bush who was swallowed when a sinkhole opened underneath his bedroom. (AP Photo/Scott Iskowitz)
Wanda Carter, the daughter of Leland Wicker, cradled the large family Bible in her arms. She said her mother and father had stored baptism certificates, cards and photos between the pages of that Bible over the years.
"It means that God is still in control, and He knew we needed this for closure,'' she said, crying.
Demolition crews search for items from the home of Jeff Bush, 37, who died when a sinkhole opened up underneath the house. (AP Photo/Scott Iskowitz)
"Thank you for all of the memories and life it gave us,'' she said.
Crews wanted to clear the house so they could better see the depth of the problem and determine how many other homes could be in danger. Authorities have yet to say how far the depths could have extended.
Wanda Carter shows friends some of the photos that were saved from the home of Jeff Bush, 37, who was swallowed by a sinkhole that opened up underneath his bedroom as he slept. (AP Photo/Scott Iskowitz)
The latest sinkhole opened between two homes and was about 3.6 metres round, 1 metre deep around the edge and about 1.5 metres deep in the centre, said Hillsborough County spokesman Willie Puz.
"It is not geologically connected (to the deadly sinkhole)," Puz said.
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