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A massive sinkhole swallowed at least 10 vehicles after it suddenly opened up on a busy motorway in Sweden.

The devastating collapse was caused by a landslide on the E6 highway which connects the west of the country to Norway.

Three people were injured and rushed to hospital after the road completely gave way early on Saturday morning, leaving behind a mammoth 1,640ft-wide hole.

Several buildings and facilities were damaged, including a Burger King restaurant, after the landslip in Stenungsund, around 30 miles north of Sweden’s second biggest city of Gothenburg.

Emergency services were first alerted to the incident at around 1.45am and were told a ‘substantial part of the E6′ had caved in, police spokesman August Brandt told Swedish public broadcaster SVT.

Officials were seen searching with specially trained dogs and staff to ensure there were no people trapped in the debris.

Those injured are not thought to be in a life-threatening condition. 

It’s not yet known what caused the landslide but Swedish media have said the area has seen substantial construction activities involving blasting and excavation work. 

A large amount of rain also has fallen in the past few days.

Footage taken by a drone showed that a crack on the E6 had appeared after the start of the construction of a business park, Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter said.

‘The hardest hit parts of the landslide area measure around 150 x 100 metres. In total, however, the landslide has affected an area of around 700 x 200 metres,’ the Gothenburg Rescue Services said in a statement.

The slide affected around ten vehicles, a wooded area, a business area with a gas station and a fast food restaurant, the rescue services said.

‘A number of people have been helped out of vehicles in the slide area with the help of fire personnel and a helicopter,’ they added.

Several cars and one truck had fallen into holes and cracks caused by the landslide, Swedish news agency TT reported.

A rescue services spokesperson told public broadcaster SVT all people in the vehicles had been helped out.

Police said on their website they had launched a probe into whether work at a nearby construction site may have caused the slide.

‘It’s still unclear if there is any connection to blasting/work at the site and the landslide,’ they said. ‘No person is currently suspected of a crime.’

Rescue services said that further slides could not be ruled out.

At least two people were killed and several trapped when a bridge collapsed in Greece in July.

A massive sinkhole also opened up on San Francisco intersection earlier this month, while a road in Newcastle gave way earlier this year.

Two weeks ago, a cow’s ‘mates went to check on him’ after he was rescued from a ‘terrifying’ deep sinkhole.

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