Montreal business owner says warnings were ignored before sinkhole formation

MONTREAL – A Montreal business-owner says city officials ignored his warnings that there was a problem before a a sinkhole swallowed a backhoe.

The backhoe had started to chip at asphalt near the corner of Ste-Catherine and Guy streets yesterday when the ground crumbled beneath it and the heavy machine tumbled in.

The driver of the backhoe was not injured but was taken to hospital to be checked out as a precaution.

Sharx pool bar owner Rahman Esmaili says water had been leaking in for more than a week.

He says the city was warned about the problem but was told there were no reports of low water pressure.

A spokeswoman for the city says they were alerted to the possible water leak on the weekend.

She says preliminary indications were that the leak caused the problem but more inspections need to be done to find the exact cause.

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