Neighbourhood Built on an Abandoned Mine

Year: 2020
Location: South Dakota, America
Company: Dakota Plaster Company
Estimated Damage Value: $10-15 million*

When purchasing a home, you may want to double-check with the realtor that it’s not built on a large, cavernous, abandoned mine. A group of South Dakota residents didn’t check when they shelled out a fortune for their gorgeous, newly-built houses back in 2014.

One resident was mowing his lawn when the sinkhole suddenly appeared. Twelve families were later evacuated. Investigators discovered that a huge 600 feet long gypsum mine was situated directly underneath the properties, rendering them completely unsafe – and utterly worthless.