Rescuers end effort to find body in Fla. sinkhole; say it's just too dangerous

5 others in house escaped

Sinkhole traps man in Tampa, Fla.


Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Posted: 03/02/2013
Last Updated: 82 days ago

SEFFNER, Fla. - The effort to find the body of a Florida man who was swallowed by a sinkhole under his home is being called off while crews try to learn how far the underground cavity reaches and whether more homes are at risk.

Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill says rescuers are ending the effort to find Jeff Bush's body because it's just too dangerous. He says officials plan to bring in heavy equipment tomorrow to begin demolishing the four-bedroom home.

Merrill says "At this point it's really not possible to recover the body." Merrill also says they're dealing with what he describes as "a very unusual sinkhole."

Bush was in his bedroom Thursday night in Seffner -- a suburb of 8,000 people 15 miles east of downtown Tampa -- when the earth opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five others in the house escape unharmed.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


San Diego , CA  
61° Partly cloudy

Stay Connected

Send us a News Tip Send us a News Tip
Tablet & iPhone/Android Apps Mobile/Tablet Apps
Twitter Twitter
Facebook Facebook
YouTube YouTube
SanDiegoLaw.tv SanDiegoLaw.tv