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As of Wednesday evening, Hydro Ottawa reported seven buildings in the vicinity without power, and said crews working to restore power first had to wait for approval from safety inspectors.

The Rideau Centre and surrounding buildings were evacuated immediately and remained closed to employees and the public for much of the day. The primary reason for those evacuations was a gas leak that blanketed the downtown in a foul smell. The leak was soon repaired. The mall is expected to reopen Thursday morning.

The mayor said the city was putting all of its resources “towards determining the cause of the situation and to conduct the necessary repairs as quickly as possible.”

Many speculated about what role, if any, LRT tunnel construction may have played, but Watson said that wouldn’t be known for at least several days.

“We can’t confirm whether the tunnel had any impact on the sinkhole or whether it was a water main break or whether it was a leak of some type that destabilized the soil,” Watson said, noting the LRT tunnel is substantially below where the water main break occurred.

The tunnel was not affected by the sinkhole, though work was halted right away. There were no reports of water or debris falling into the tunnel.

After the initial collapse, a second collapse, caught on camera by some eyewitnesses, swallowed a minivan.

There was no one in the van, which the city says belonged to a private citizen who was parked there and tried unsuccessfully to convince firefighters to let him move it before it was swallowed by the sinkhole.