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The front wheels of a Kia van were engulfed by a gaping hole in Hyde Park, formed by a ruptured water main, leaving the vehicle immobile for a couple of hours.
Meanwhile, an early-morning flood was triggered on Park Street by another broken main.
“We’re just standing here watching the car sink, and at first, no one was around. I even had to direct traffic,” recounted witness Sanja Nikolic.
As the water surged, it threatened nearby homes and flooded a basement beneath a young family’s house, while neighbors watched it inch perilously close.
Visitors from the Northern Territory, en route to the airport to return their rental car before catching a flight home, were caught in the commotion.
They first drove into what was a small ditch, and soon there was no turning back.
“We could still see the number plate of the car, like it was submerged maybe that much, but then over time, it’s been maybe an hour,” Nikolic said.
Both the driver and her passenger managed to get out of the van and caught an Uber to the airport.
Two hours later, SA Water crews finally cut the supply, leaving about 50 homes without water.
The car was eventually pulled from the crater.