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Sinkhole Swallows Pieces Of Passing Semi In Mendocino County

COVELO (CBS SF) - A big-rig truck broke into pieces on Highway 162 in Mendocino County Friday morning after a 30-foot sinkhole opened up in the roadway.

Around 7 a.m. the trucker was hauling supplies near Covelo when the sinkhole opened and separated his cab and the trailer, while tearing off an axel in the process. The driver's cab was stranded on the washed-out portion of the road. He was not injured, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff Department.

People traveling into Covelo – a town of about 3,000 - are being forced to use an alternate dirt road for the time being. Caltrans said the road could reopen Saturday.

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