When the bottom drops out: Sinkholes around the world

A massive sinkhole that opened up in downtown Ottawa on Wednesday has causeda gas leak and forcedout people in nearby businesses. Video shot by people who happened to be near the sceneshows water gushingand a car falling in at a majorintersection.

While dramatic, sinkholes like the one in Ottawa are not rare. Here's a look at some others in Canada and around the world.

A water main break caused this one in Florence

Dozens of cars fell into a chasm that opened near the Ponte Vecchio, in Florence, Italy, inMay after an underground pipe ruptured. No one was injured.

A sinkhole swallowed cars inIHOP parking lot.

This chasm opened up outside aMeridian, Miss., pancake house in November2015. Nobody was hurt, but over a dozen cars wereswallowed up.

A backhoe fell into this Montreal sinkhole.

In another dramatic Canadian collapse, a backhoe fellvictim to an eight-by-five metre sinkhole that opened unexpectedly at the intersection of Guy and Ste-Catherinestreets in downtown Montreal in August2013.

A water main break caused this one inKitchener, Ont.

Two men on their way to work at alandscaping company got a surprise when their truck dropped into a flooded sinkhole in February 2016.A crane was brought in to hoistit out of the hole.

A Toronto driver had to crawl out his car window.

In April 2015, Mario Tavaresgot a shock when his Jaguar waspartially swallowed by aparking lot sinkhole.

The Corvette Museum got a new attraction in 2014.

A sinkhole that opened up at the National Corvette Museumin Bowling Green, Ky., became such an attraction that the eight, mangled carsit swallowed are still on display. Dirt from the sinkhole was also put on sale in the gift shop.

Ottawa has had sinkholes before.

In February 2014, a large hole opened up in the pavement at the intersection of Laurier Avenueand Waller Street (just around the corner from the most recent sinkhole)near the University of Ottawa. This onewas about eight metres wide by12 metres deep.

Holy Toledo!

Toledo, Ohio, driverPamela Knox had to wait for a firefighter rescue afterher car dropped into thismassive sinkhole that opened up underneath her car in 2013. A water main break was toblame for the hole. Knox wasn't hurt.

Floodwater caused this one in Duluth.

Torrential rain inDuluth, Minn., in June 2011 forcedresidents from their homes (and zooanimals from their pens) and caused this suburbansinkhole.

A sinkhole top them all.

One of the most infamous sinkholes in recent memory opened up after tropical storm Agathapassed over Guatemala City in May 2010, swallowing an entireentire city block, including a three-storey building.