Lightning never strikes the same place twice. But a pipeline in central Kyiv has burst for the second time, opening up a crater that swallowed up cars. And it happened almost exactly a year after a similar emergency at the exact same spot.
Call it an annual tradition. Last November, a heating pipe burst in the middle of a key intersection in the city center, dragging a car that was driving above into the hole it created. A year later, on Nov. 5, the pipeline burst again in the very same spot. There appears to be only one difference: this time, two cars were trapped in the hole.
Apart from leaving a hole, the underground heating pipe spewed boiling water, forcing the nearest cars to change their routes as fast as possible, according to videos posted on the internet by witnesses.
Luckily, one other thing has been consistent — both times nobody was hurt.
Deja Vu! Rescue workers inspect the car that fell into a crater due to a broken hot water pipe on Oct. 13, 2018 at 4A Shota Rustaveli St. in downtown Kyiv. (Oleg Petrasiuk)
The cars have already been evacuated, and the utility company Kyivenergo has blocked the area off and is doing repair work. According to the Kyiv City State Administration, the pipeline was 700 millimeters in diameter. It is unclear how long it will take to fix the pipeline and the road.
The eruption occurred at the intersection of Shota Rustaveli Street and Saksahanskoho Street in central Kyiv. This year, it took place at about 5 p.m.
Some public transport services have been forced to use a detour, including trolleybuses 3, 9, 12, 14 and 40 and bus 69.
