Massive, Churning Sinkhole Swallows Couple's Backyard In Australia

Sometimes you don’t have to go any farther than your own backyard to encounter sheer terror.

A couple in Queensland, Australia, had to evacuate their home after a large, water-filled sinkhole began devouring their lawn Tuesday. As of 2 p.m., the hole was about 26 feet wide, the Queensland Times reports.

“Please don’t take my washing line,” Lynn McKay pleaded with the sinkhole, according to the Times, which noted the hole was “edging ever closer to the washing line.”

Reporter Helen Spelitis also aptly noted that the sinkhole contained a Pokemon, though for safety reasons we can’t recommend traveling there to catch it.

A neighbor woke up Lynn and her husband, Ray McKay, earlier that morning to tell them about the hole.

A Department of Natural Resources and Mines spokeswoman told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that they are investigating the cause, as well as trying to figure out how to drain water from the hole. Experts suspect the hole was caused by an old mine shaft that may have collapsed, according to The Guardian.

In the meantime, the McKays are staying in a hotel. We hope the washing line survives.