Sinkhole opens up near Australian prime minister's Sydney home

[February 08, 2017]  SYDNEY (Reuters) - A sinkhole opened up less than 1 kilometer (0.62 mile) from Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's home in the wealthy Sydney suburb of Point Piper, media said on Wednesday, after a night of heavy rain and flash flooding.

There were no reports of injuries or damage to private property from the sinkhole that opened up on a sidewalk, but police have cordoned off the street.

"We will make the site safe," the director of technical services for the municipal council, Tom O'Hanlon, told reporters.

"And at the same time, we are working with the three utility companies so they can do some work around to get the power back on."

(Reporting by Reuters Television; Editing by Randy Fabi)

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A worker inspects a sinkhole that appeared after heavy rain outside a property located near Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's residence in Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray