Bus gets stuck in sinkhole in suburban Phoenix

AP Photo/Matt York

A valley metro bus sits mired in a collapsed, muddy street after a water main break flooded the area, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 in Tempe, Ariz. Police say police officers and firefighters helped passengers get off the bus and that nobody was injured during the Wednesday morning incident though some businesses were flooded.

Associated Press

Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 | 5:07 p.m.

TEMPE, Ariz. — A city bus got stuck in a sinkhole after a water main broke in suburban Phoenix, forcing the passengers and driver to evacuate through the windows.

Tempe police say the back right side of the bus fell into the hole at about 10 a.m. Wednesday. They say all 11 passengers and the driver safely evacuated through the side windows.

It took about two hours for city water crews to shut off all the valves and stop the flow of water in the area of Apache Boulevard and McClintock Drive.

Two tow trucks tried to pull the bus from the sinkhole, but authorities say the bus was too heavy and a crane was being brought in by late afternoon.

Authorities say the cause of the water main break hasn't been determined, but it likely was due to the age of the infrastructure. Police say light rail wasn't impacted by the water break and trains were still in operation.