Huge sinkhole swallows cars, prompts evacuations in Rome (VIDEO)

A massive four-lane-wide sinkhole swallowed at least six cars in Rome on Wednesday, forcing 20 families to flee their homes. A dramatic video captured the extent of the damage.

The incident happened in the Italian capital's Baldunia neighborhood on Wednesday evening. Although no injuries were reported, police and several fire brigades were deployed at the scene to ensure that two residential buildings are safely evacuated.

The area was cordoned off by rescue teams due to the risk of further land subsidence, Corriere della Sera reported.

A local resident returned from a gym to find a gaping hole around 50ft (15 meters) wide. "I was at the gym, my sister-in-law called me and I got scared. She told me that the street collapsed,” Lorella Giordana told Ruptly. Giancarlo De Capraris, another evacuated resident, said: "I have a three-month-old baby, I don't know where to go.”

Giordana said the incident happened following “months” of construction works involving three buildings in the area being developed for new housing.

Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi, who inspected the scene on Wednesday, said an investigation had been launched to find the cause of the collapse. She told the evicted residents that they would be accommodated in hotels.