Cursed Chicago? Mysterious sinkhole reported
What are they hiding? Workers erect a tent around the sinkhole
Authorities silent on reports of missing animals, disturbing noises
Officials refused to comment on an enormous sinkhole that mysteriously formed last night on the 500 block of West Grand Avenue. More than a dozen squad cars, ambulances and fire engines converged on the scene around 3 a.m. Authorities have erected a giant tent over the area.
Employees of the Chicago Tribune’s Freedom Center first reported the sinkhole after hearing muffled cries coming from the parking lot in front of the building.
“I was on a break out back,” said Robert Smelic, who works the night shift at the Freedom Center. “When I heard this loud sucking sound. The earth just started collapsing around me, like it was being swallowed. I’m not sure how I got out of there. I thought it was the end of the world.”
Many are speculating about the cause of the sinkhole, but nothing has been confirmed. “They’ve been building some tunnels leading from the main printing press,” said Kurdesh Pfaff, Freedom Center, printing press night manager. “Sometimes you’d hear these moans, like from a pack of wolves or something. It’d make your hair stand up. We told them they were unleashing something in the bedrock, something that you didn’t want unleashed. But they didn’t listen. The digging continued.”
Authorities are prohibiting people from entering the site; however, area residents reported seeing what appeared to be human remains being unearthed. A few were able to take pictures before being forced to leave. So far, efforts to track down those photos have been unsuccessful, but one resident has described the scene.
“I saw lots of skulls, maybe a dozen or so,” said Marcus Philby, who lives only a few blocks away on Peoria Street. “But some looked strange … they didn’t look human.”
Also, a number of neighbors have reported missing pets including dogs and cats, but whether that has any connection to the sinkhole is unclear.
Tribune Media Group Events, organizers of Chronicles of the Cursed, the popular Chicago Haunted House located at the site of the sinkhole, claim it is still scheduled to open October 8th and plans will proceed as normal.
Updated information can be found at cursedchicago.com
