Deep sinkhole opens up several metres wide in Brussels

A sinkhole several metres wide appeared on a busy street in Brussels on Thursday, shutting the road to traffic and worrying local residents.

The hole, caused by a leak in underground water pipes, did not result in any injuries according to local media, but restaurant owner Massut Ozkan said he had to hurry to halt buses and cars heading for the street when the hole appeared.

"We stopped the traffic. I went up to stop all the cars. There were also buses, fortunately they didn't go down the road. We stopped everybody, on both sides of the street. Honestly, we avoided a serious danger. If a big bus or a van had gone by, things would not be the same," he said.

The road has been closed for safety reasons and 200 people evacuated, according to local media.

Trains have also been affected with officials saying some traffic between Bruxelles-Nord and Bruxelles-Schuman stations will be interrupted for days.