Woman's car swallowed by sinkhole in dramatic footage as crowd gathers to watch rescue

The 24-year-old's car was almost swallowed whole by the massive sinkhole which had opened up in the road

This incredible footage reveals what greeted a 24-year-old woman when responded to her car alarm going off in the street.

Elena Silina had parked her Toyota IST outside a hotel where she worked in its beauty parlour.

But when she heard her car alarm she rushed outside and was shocked by the sight that greeted her.

As the footage shows, her car was almost swallowed whole by the massive sinkhole which had opened up in the road.

Ms Silina said: "When I looked down, I saw my car sinking into the road!"

She called the emergency services who needed 15 people and a crane to lift the car out of the sinkhole.

Officials said the sinkhole was caused by burst underground pipes which supply hot water to homes.

Alexander Gross, the head of Barnaul Heating Systems, said tests were being carried out to see what had gone wrong.

He said: "It seems the pipes were damaged and that water washed away the ground under the tarmac and the car fell through."

Mr Gross said that the company had accepted liability and would compensate Ms Silina for any damage to her car.

The incident took place in Barnaul in south central Russia, and photographs of it have been making the rounds on social media and local internet forums.

One user Marat Valeev commented: "Look at this! It fell into the sink hole, as if it was cut for it. Perfect sizing."

While Gennadiy Zenkov added: "It looks like some kind of underground garage. I bet she could have driven out of it on her own."

While an anonymous commentator said: "It is a horrible city.

"They have stolen everything there, including the asphalt. Insane."