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Passengers exit safely after back of Maui bus falls into sinkhole

COURTESY MAUI COUNTY
                                Maui County officials said a bus driver and all passengers on a county bus were able to make a safe exit Wednesday after its rear tires fell into a sinkhole in Kahului.

COURTESY MAUI COUNTY

Maui County officials said a bus driver and all passengers on a county bus were able to make a safe exit Wednesday after its rear tires fell into a sinkhole in Kahului.

Maui County officials said a bus driver and all passengers on a county bus were able to make a safe exit Wednesday after its rear tires fell into a sinkhole in Kahului.

The bus was stuck at a slightly upward angle, but everyone aboard exited the Maui Bus at about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, with no injuries were reported, according to the County of Maui Department of Transportation.

The Maui Bus driver navigated through pooling water before the rear tires got stuck in the sinkhole on Lono Avenue near West Kamehameha Avenue. At the time, officials said, the sinkhole was small and concealed by the water.

The area remains coned off, officials said, as remaining road repairs go out to bid.

Officials said by the end of the evening, the hole grew to about 15-feet-by-30-feet, and 5 feet deep due to water pressure and digging.

The Maui County Department of Water Supply said the sinkhole was caused by an aging, 12-inch water main break, and that a portion of Lono Avenue was closed from around 3:30 to 11:30 p.m., and area water was shut off from 3:30 to 10 p.m.

DWS has since repaired the waterline.

D&D Towing pulled the bus out of the hole, and it is now at Robert Hawaii’s baseyard, where it will undergo minor repairs before being returned to service.

“DWS officials encourage motorists to avoid driving through pooling water during flooding, water breaks and other infrastructure incidents,” said the department in a news release.

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