As captured by Higgins Storm Chasers, the erosion-hole that claimed a caravan and a car at Inskip Point, and triggered the evacuation of 140 campers. Credit:Kieren Hudson/Higgins Storm Chasers Ms Modin said the fishermen nearby MV Beagle campground first saw the sand moving. "There was fishermen apparently nearby who said there was this noise and the next thing the sand just started moving out to sea," she said. "And suddenly there was this big sinkhole." She said she had seen a video - on a local police officer's phone - of the sinkhole with a caravan in it.

The sinkhole claimed a caravan, a car, tents and other camping equipment. Credit:7 News "But there had been not one mention of anyone being injured or anything like that," she said. The MV Beagle campground is about 10 minutes north of Rainbow Beach, about halfway to the tip of Inskip Point. Campers had to flee in darkness as the sinkhole opened up at a beach camping ground north of Rainbow Beach. Credit:7 News Ms Modin said campers coming into the shop on Sunday morning told of being terrified after told to immediately evacuate on Saturday night.

"It was pretty scary," she said. MV Beagle Campground at Inskip Point, north of Rainbow Beach where a sinkhole opened on Saturday night. "It was dark and they were told to leave their vans and come back in the morning and hopefully they would still be there," Ms Modin said. "But you've got to evacuate immediately, they were told." Ms Modin said some vans were also evacuated from the middle blocks of the Rainbow Beach campground as well.

"They have evacuated some vans who are in the middle block here in the middle of town," she said. "Which was interesting to us as we came to work and we'd say 'Why are all these caravans in the middle of the block here' till we found out what had happened." "And they had been shifted there. They were told to leave." Early witnesses Two campers told a local Seven News crew how their midnight evacuation from the campground was traumatic as the sinkhole opened up.

"There was all this yelling and screaming," one camper said. "Then a caravan went over the edge," she said. "Pretty scary." "It was very traumatic," said the other, "Especially as at midnight when it first appeared." The footage shows a caravan in deep hole and eskies and other camping equipment floating in the sea water.

Beach access blocked She said 4WD drive vehicles could no longer get to Inskip Point along the beach. "You can't get all the way up the beach to Inskip Point right now," she said. "That hole and that washout has made it impassable. "You can only get from here, up to Beagle. And then, coming back the other way, from the barge - back to Beagle."

Ms Modin said she was worried the incident would make people frightened to camp at Inskip Point. "MV Beagle is just one little area, it is not the whole coastline or anything." "Its a fairly big hole, but there is plenty of beach either side of it." 140 people evacuated Around 140 people were evacuated to safer parts of the national park, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service confirmed.

Police say the hole opened up slowly at Inskip Point from about 10.30pm and initial reports estimated the sinkhole to be about 100 metres by 100 metres and around three metres deep. On Sunday morning it was confirmed to be longer, at 150 metres long, 50 metres wide and three metres deep. Camper Melanie Wotherspoon described her horror in a Facebook post. "Yep, can't believe we made it out," Ms Wotherspoon wrote. "I thought we were gonners (sic) for sure, was truly scary how fast it came into our camp site and swallowed it up."

Sinkhole could expand Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) on Sunday morning urged people to stay away because the sinkhole could expand as ocean currents impacted on the existing sinkhole. Senior Ranger Dan Clifton said it is important for public safety that visitors avoid the area. "There is a real possibility the hole could expand with ocean currents, so people are urged to avoid the area," Mr Clifton said. "Rangers and police have erected traffic barriers and warnings signs to advise beachgoers of potential risks.

"While we continue to assess the situation, our priority is public safety. "The MV Beagle campsite has been closed to new campers, however there are six alternative campgrounds at Inskip that remain open." One vehicle, a caravan, a camper trailer and some tents have fallen in. A woman ran through nearby campsites, screaming at people to wake up and get out, the ABC reports. Police and SES crews raced to the site, where no one was reported injured or missing.

Some suggestions have linked the incident to a number of small earthquakes off the coast in recent weeks. Staff from the Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing are on the scene but it's unclear at this stage whether the camp grounds are closed. In 2011 a similar sinkhole emerged at the same campsite, again with no injuries. The campground is within national park and Queensland's Environment Department officers headed to the site on Saturday evening. No one was reported injured and everyone had been accounted for, a police spokeswoman told Fairfax Media this morning.

Police and SES crews attended as the 140 campers evacuated the area on Saturday night. Like this story? Be our friend on Facebook.