JACKSON, Miss. - Customers at the Meridian, Miss., IHOP said they experienced what felt like an earthquake Saturday evening.

When they went outside, they realized that a large hole in the parking lot had swallowed several of their cars, reports CBS affiliate WJTV in Jackson.

Meridian Public Safety Director Buck Roberts told The Meridian Star that the collapse Saturday night was not the result of a sinkhole, which is generally caused when an underground water aquifer dries and leaves a void in the ground.

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"You can call it what you want, a cave-in or whatever, but it is not a sinkhole," Roberts said.

Roberts said engineers and contractors would be on the scene Monday studying the site.

Officials say about a dozen cars, all in a row, were swallowed by the 20-foot-deep hole in a section of the parking lot that was about 35 feet wide and 400 feet long.

While power inside the restaurant went out, no injuries have been reported from the incident.