Sinkhole
The grandmother is believed to have fallen into the hole. PA State Police

Authorities in Pennsylvania are searching for a grandmother who may have fallen into a 30-foot sinkhole while searching for her cat in the dark.

Pennsylvania State Police and local first responders were outside Monday's Union Restaurant on Marguerite Road in Unity Township early Tuesday after they found a sinkhole near 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard's parked car.

State police said Pollard was last seen in the area of the restaurant at around 5 p.m. Monday calling for her cat, Pepper. At around 1 a.m. Tuesday, a family member called state police to report she had not returned home.

Troopers launched a search of the area, and at around 3 a.m. found Pollard's car parked behind the restaurant.

Her 5-year-old granddaughter was found inside the vehicle. She was cold, but unharmed, police said.

As police searched the area near her vehicle, they found the sinkhole.

"We also discovered there was a sinkhole; it was maybe 15–20 feet from vehicle," Pennsylvania State Trooper Stephen Limani told KDKA.

"It was about the size of a manhole cover but the pocket underneath is significantly larger, and trying to send cameras down there, we determined it's roughly about 30 feet before you see a lot of debris."

Rescue crews from Westmoreland County responded to the scene with a variety of specialized equipment, including a vacuum truck to remove debris from the hole.

"We have people from the mine organization coming down here to help work through this with us," Limani said. "Our main concern right now is that she fell into that sinkhole. So that's where we're focusing our efforts."

With TMX

Pennsylvania