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A car fell into the ground in the Podilskyi district of Kyiv. Photo: Novyny.LIVE
In Kyiv, a trip to kindergarten almost ended in tragedy for a Kyiv resident: on Bilytska Street, 10 August, her car plunged into a sinkhole caused by a burst pipe. The woman and the child managed to jump out of the vehicle, which is now beyond repair. Local residents say this is far from the first such incident on this stretch of road.
This was reported by Novyny.LIVE journalist Diana Shlykova from the scene.
In Kyiv a car went under water into a sinkhole on a road in the Podilskyi district
A major failure in the water supply network in the Podilskyi district of Kyiv caused a passenger car to end up underground. The incident occurred on Bilytska Street. The driver was a woman who was heading to kindergarten with her child. Seeing that the road was flooded due to a burst utility line, the driver noticed two white barrier blocks.
“On those white blocks there was a sign ‘Detour to the right along the road,’ which is where I went, trusting the signs, although there was a puddle,” the victim said. Visually the section did not seem deep, so she did not consider it dangerous to drive through.
Rescuers arrived at the scene of the accident. Photo: Novyny.LIVE/Diana Shlykova
As soon as the passenger car drove into the water, the road surface gave way.
“I immediately felt the car tilt. The asphalt under the front wheels collapsed, and the car began to sink with the right wheel,” the Kyiv resident recalled.
Attempts to reverse proved futile. Realizing the danger, the woman immediately exited the cabin.
“I quickly jumped out of the car, pulled the child out. The car was already in the water. My feet were wet, but we managed to get out uninjured,” she added.
The car sank under the asphalt. Photo: Novyny.LIVE/Diana Shlykova
The car is beyond repair. Because the woman was primarily concerned with saving the child, the engine was left running.
The woman explained: “The car was running at the time it went into the water. I tried to turn it off, but my priority was to get out, and besides I had a small child.”
The car sank so deep that water filled the cabin. Photo: Novyny.LIVE/Diana Shlykova
One of the passersby who rushed to help said he managed to turn off the ignition, but by that time the engine was already completely submerged. The vehicle plunged nose-first into the ground by three-quarters, with only the upper parts of the wheels partially above the water.
They are trying to pull the car out with ropes by the State Emergency Service. Photo: Novyny.LIVE/Diana Shlykova
The car owner expressed particular outrage at the response of the relevant services. According to her, a police crew arrived at the scene in about 40 minutes, and rescuers from the SES only after an hour. The driver is convinced that with an immediate response in the first 10–15 minutes the vehicle could have been saved, but instead they had to watch it sink. At the same time, the water utility workers arrived at the emergency very quickly.
“Right away Kyivvodokanal arrived at the site and for some reason removed the signs, specifically the detour sign that had been there,” the victim emphasized.
The Kyiv City State Administration confirmed the fact of a pipe burst on Bilytska Street. Due to the accident, traffic on this section was restricted and water supply was lost at a number of nearby addresses. Restoration of the utilities will begin only after the sunken car is removed from the sinkhole.
Meanwhile, local residents note that the problem at this location is systemic. According to district residents, over the past two months they have regularly complained about water problems and the condition of the asphalt.
“Residents say that in winter 6 people likewise fell into the water in cars at this spot,” the driver summed up.
Novyny.LIVE previously reported that the formation of sinkholes on the capital’s roads remains an old and extremely dangerous municipal problem in Kyiv that regularly leads to emergencies.
For example, on 12 September 2024 a car fell underground at the corner of Holosiivska and Horyana streets due to a damaged water main. And on 8 March 2025 a sudden subsidence of the asphalt on Muzeinyi Lane in Pechersk swallowed three cars at once.
But the most horrific consequence of worn underground utilities was recorded on 2 January 2026 on Lobanovskyi Avenue in the Holosiivskyi district, where a trap of boiling water opened up in the middle of the street. A sixteen-year-old girl fell into it and suffered critical burns to 73% of her body surface. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save the victim.
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