Water main break creates sinkhole along Florence's Arno

Firefighters standby by cars engulfed by a chasm which opened along Arno river near the Ponte Vecchio Old Bridge. Photo / AP

An underground water main break along Florence's picturesque Arno River has created a 200-meter-long sinkhole that buried dozens of parked cars.

Firefighters asked residents of nearby palazzi to evacuate voluntarily, as there was no water or lighting in the area. Hours after the pre-dawn break, authorities were trying to determine Wednesday whether the weakened asphalt could withstand the weight of a crane to extract the waterlogged cars that fell into the hole.

Firefighters block off the area where a chasm opened along Arno river near the Ponte Vecchio Old Bridge, in Florence. Photo / AP

Mayor Dario Nardella stressed that the underground flooding was the result of a gash in a 60-centimeter (two-foot) diameter pipe, one of the major water conduits in the neighborhood, and not a leak in the banks of the Arno.

The scene is near the famed Ponte Vecchio bridge, a favorite spot for tourists shopping for jewelry.