Police diverted traffic and advised drivers to take alternate routes after one opened up on Eliezer Hoofien St. in Holon and Shirat Ge’ulim St. in Herzliya.

The rainfall was the remains of Storm Daniel, which already devastated Libya with flooding. At least 5,000 Libyans have been killed and another 10,000 are missing.

Declining water levels, digging through soil and heavy currents of water are among the primary causes of sinkholes.

Sinkholes made Israeli headlines several times in 2022.

One Israeli was killed and another injured when a sinkhole opened up under a swimming pool at a villa in the town of Karmei Yosef during a party in July. Video on social media showed inflatable pool toys suddenly being sucked into a hole as partygoers scrambled in shock.

In September and November, sinkholes opened up on Tel Aviv’s busy Ayalon Highway. Nobody was injured, but they prompted traffic jams and a surge of internet memes. Tel Aviv drivers were again forced to find alternate routes later in November thanks to a sinkhole opening up on Ibn Gvirol St., another key road.

Sinkholes also pose an increasing danger in the area around the Dead Sea. The shoreline has been receding for years as Israeli and Jordanian companies use evaporation pools to harvest and export the Dead Sea’s minerals.