Land O'Lakes sinkhole widens by about 800 square feet

LAND O'LAKES, Fla. (AP) - Officials say the sinkhole that swallowed up two homes last month has grown unexpectedly bigger.

Pasco County officials say an 80-foot (24.3 meters) long by 10-foot (3 meters) wide section collapsed overnight Friday.

The sinkhole in a suburb of Tampa had been 235 feet (72 meters) wide and 50 feet (15 meters) deep previously.

Landfill has been brought in to stabilize the banks of the sinkhole. Once the banks are stabilized, workers hope to remove debris from the sinkhole.

As a safety precaution, equipment has been moved away from the western edge of the sinkhole.

Besides the two swallowed homes, residents in three other nearby homes were displaced because of the risk.