The dramatic moment a massive sinkhole devoured part of a street in Mexico City was captured by a witness determined to get the shot despite the nearby road crumbling into oblivion.

An underground tunnel was exposed when a 10-meter-wide and 20-meter-deep sinkhole suddenly opened between Colon and Humboldt street in the city center on Thursday.

Broken water pipes gushed into the gaping hole as bystanders looked on at the wrecked street in disbelief.

Estamos revisando el socavon en Cristóbal Colón y Humbolt Col. Centro. Está acordonada la zona. pic.twitter.com/mnT8GVHb9g — ProtecciónCivil CDMX (@SPCCDMX) August 31, 2017

Atendemos emergencia generada por un socavón en la calle Humboldt, col. Centro, no hay personas lesionadas. pic.twitter.com/BZYmxehzEW — Ricardo Monreal A. (@RicardoMonrealA) August 31, 2017

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The collapse was caused by a burst water pipe which belongs to the Water System of the City of Mexico (Sacmex), according to the Civil Protection Secretary of the CDMX, Fasta Lugo.

#PrecauciónVial servicios de emergencia, por socavón en Humboldt y Colón, col. Centro, Cuauhtémoc. #AlternativaVial Paseo de la Reforma. pic.twitter.com/WHx7yLe8HP — OVIALCDMX (@OVIALCDMX) August 31, 2017

Lugo said the relevant emergency services were deployed to the area, and surrounding business were evacuated to prevent further damage.

The burst pipe was reportedly caused by a combination of an ageing water system and the 60 cubic centimeters of rain that pummeled Mexico city Wednesday, causing serious flooding throughout the city.

