Grandmother searches for missing cat that may have fallen into a hole in the ground in Pennsylvania | World News

Rescue teams in Pennsylvania are searching for a grandmother who may have fallen into a hole in the ground while searching for her missing cat.

Elizabeth Pollard, 64, has not been heard from since Monday afternoon, when police believe she fell into the hole in Marguerite, about 40 miles (65 km) east of Pittsburgh.

Heavy machinery was used to survey the site while teams worked above and below ground.

Search parties also entered a nearby mine to find her and dug a separate entrance because they feared the ground around the sinkhole was unstable.

“As soon as you stuck the camera through to look, you had this big void and everything was different depths,” Marguerite Fire Chief Scot Graham told reporters at a news conference.

“We found something that looks like a shoe, and let’s just say it’s a modern shoe,” added John Bacha, chief of the Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Department.

Ms Pollard’s family called police at around 1am on Tuesday to report her missing after they said she was looking for Pepper, her cat.

Her car was found parked near a local restaurant, said Pennsylvania State Police spokesman Trooper Steve Limani. But she wasn’t inside.

“What we found was her five-year-old granddaughter who was in the vehicle… luckily the five-year-old granddaughter was OK,” he said.

“It appears that the sinkhole most likely occurred during the time when Ms. Pollard was unfortunate enough to be walking around. There is no evidence that this hole could ever have been here before she decided to run around looking for her cat. ” he added.

The manhole-sized opening is believed to be new, but such sinkholes are not uncommon in the area due to ground subsidence from local coal mining activities.

A team from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection believes the underground void is likely related to the Marguerite Mine, which was last operated by the H.C. Frick Coke Company in 1952.

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The Pittsburgh coal seam lies about 6 m (20 ft) below the surface, while this sinkhole is estimated to be at least 9 m (30 ft) deep.

While temperatures were below freezing, it is warmer underground and rescue teams say oxygen levels have remained stable.

When asked about the prospect of finding Ms. Pollard alive, Trooper Limani said, “We’ve got to have a little bit of luck…we’ve got to have a little bit of luck on our side.”