Two women have been rescued after falling into a sinkhole outside a store in Kitchener, Ont., on Monday afternoon.
The hole formed just outside the Sears Canada store in Fairview Park Mall around 2 p.m., swallowing a customer who was walking into the store.
"As she stepped in closer, she fell in to the hole," said Deanna Haddad, a witness.
Water had filled the sinkhole, leaving the stranded customer up to her neck in water.
A Sears employee went to help her, said Haddad, but she too fell into the water-filled hole.
The women were eventually rescued, and the water was shut off 30 minutes after the sidewalk caved in. The water spread roughly 15 metres from the sinkhole into the store during that time.
"Her phone was wet, her purse was wet, everything was just wet and dirty," Haddad said about the rescued customer.
Shoppers inside the store snapped photos documenting the damage, showing aisles filled with water and stained carpets.
"Obviously it was some sort of water main break," said shopper Bill Martin, adding he was confused as to why a water main would run under the front doors of the store.
In a statement to CTV Kitchener, Sears Canada says it has hired a remediation company to fix the damage.
"Our main efforts right now are concentrated on the safety of our customers and employees," spokesman Vincent Power said.
The store hopes to reopen on Tuesday.
With a report from CTV Kitchener's Max Wark
