• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A suspected sinkhole in Barangay General Luna, Toboso, Negros Occidental, is now nine feet (around 2.7 meters) deep, a day after it was discovered on Thursday, according to reports of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
It measures about 60 meters in diameter and has a radius of 30 meters.
However, the sinkhole is located in an isolated area, and about 500 meters away from the highway.
Mayor Richard Jaojoco earlier said the cracks on the ground are located about 500 meters from a fault system.
The East Negros Fault System is a series of active faults in Negros Occidental, including the Toboso-Calatrava and the Pinocawan River fault segments in San Carlos City.
These are part of a broader tectonic network, featuring both active faults and proximity to the subduction zone known as the Negros Trench.
Authorities raised the possibility that it will further expand, because the sinkhole is located in a limestone area.
A landslide was also reported along the highway of Purok Agsisibay in Brgy. Bago, Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental.*
