Massive sinkhole appears on golf course

A 35-foot-deep sinkhole swallowed part of a golf course in Missouri on Friday.

The huge sinkhole is approximately 700 feet wide and 35 feet deep, according to The Huffington Post.

It appeared near a pond at the entrance of the Top of the Rock Golf course near resort town Branson.

Sky News reports that Doug Gouzie, associate professor of geology and sinkhole expert at Missouri State University, says recent heavy rains are likely to have been a major cause.

The large sinkhole is one of four which opened up on the golf course.

Speaking to Branson Tri-Lakes News, Director of Conservation for Bass Pro Shops Martin Mac Donald said Missouri is the "cave state".

He added: "Now, that's kind of a fancy word, but what it means is when water circulates down, it basically dissolves rock and creates different kinds of formations, caves, as an example, or in the case that we have here, a sinkhole."

Last year, two men had a very lucky escape after their car was swallowed by a sinkhole on a busy road in China .

CCTV footage shows them escaping their vehicle just as it dangles over the edge of the hole.

It then falls in and lands on its roof. The hole was caused by the collapse of sand beneath the road's surface about half an hour before the sinkhole appeared.

A truck ran over the surface of the weak spot, causing the tarmac to collapse. The sinkhole was around 13ft wide.