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Maui bus gets stuck in sinkhole the size of a small swimming pool

A Maui County bus got stuck in a sinkhole on Lono Avenue on Wednesday in Kahului. No injuries were reported. Courtesy photo

A Maui bus made an unexpected stop Wednesday when pooling water on a Kahului Street turned out to be a growing sinkhole and the rear wheels of the bus got stuck in the hole.

“It was just overflowing on the street,” said Jay Badua, a manager at Cupies Maui, a diner on the same street as the sinkhole. “It’s like Iao Stream on a rainy day.”

The sinkhole was caused by a 12-inch waterman break on Lono Avenue near West Kamehameha Avenue. It eventually grew to be 5 feet deep and 30 feet long by 20 feet wide.

The driver and bus passengers exited the bus with no injuries around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, according to county officials.

The area was blocked off to traffic. The county began repairing the water line, as county officials said the hole grew due to water pressure and digging.

The bus was extracted by D&D Towing and driven to the Roberts Hawaii base yard to undergo minor repairs before returning to service.

Water service in the area was shut off from 3:30 to 10 p.m.

County water officials advise motorists to avoid driving through pooling water during flooding, water breaks and other infrastructure incidents.

Crews work to repair a sinkhole on Lono Avenue in Kahului on Wednesday night

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