Shortly after 7am this morning (August 4), a taxi passing Ladysmith High School (LHS) dropped into an unseen sinkhole caused by a burst pipe.

The taxi was trapped only tyre-deep as the driver managed to power through parts of the forming sinkhole as it gave way under the taxi loaded with schoolchildren.

By the time journalists arrived at the scene, the sinkhole was a metre deep below the taxi and stretched across the road.

It was only the thickness of the tar that prevented the hole from expanding wider and swallowing the taxi.

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According to an uThukela employee who arrived on scene, the sinkhole was situated over a major water pipe supplying the majority of the Egerton area with water.

It is unknown at this stage what effect repairs on the pipe will have to the water supply in the area. Residents can expect water disruptions.

The taxi, fully loaded with pupils, was lucky not to have dropped deeper into the hole.

We will update this story as soon as we know more about possible water disruptions during the repair phase.

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