MEXICO CITY (AP) - A father and son were killed when a deep sinkhole swallowed their car on a major Mexican highway Wednesday morning, officials said. Civil protection rescuers reached the rubble-covered Volkswagen Jetta lying on its roof at the bottom of the hole in the afternoon after working for more than eight hours on the closed section of road. The sinkhole appeared before dawn, at around 6 a.m. A crane lowered rescuers into a yawning hole the width of two lanes in the middle of the highway. The initial hole was widened in order to build a ramp for recovery purposes. Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, secretary of the federal Transportation Department, said the sinkhole was apparently caused by the erosion of a drain that runs more than 50 feet (15 meters) beneath the highway. At a news conference at the site, Esparza blamed heavy rains during the past three days.
He said a preliminary analysis indicated the rain caused a creek to swell beside the highway and blocked the drain with trash, contributing to the erosion. According to a statement from the department, the highway was recently widened, but the existing drain was not thought to have been affected by this construction. Esparza said later through Twitter that engineers would study the situation to determine responsibility. The Mexico-Cuernavaca highway is the main highway connecting the capital to the Pacific coast resort city of Acapulco. It was unclear when the road would reopen. Rescue workers use a crane to lift a vehicle that drove into a sinkhole on a highway in Cuernavaca, Mexico, Wednesday, July 12, 2017. A father and son were killed when the deep sinkhole swallowed their car on Wednesday morning. Civil protection rescuers reached the rubble-covered Volkswagen Jetta lying on its roof at the bottom of the hole in the afternoon, after working for more than eight hours on the closed section of road.
The round tail lights and brake lights have been singled out as the new Jetta's most derivative design statement. Critics claim they give this Jetta a blander, more Japanese look than previous models. SportWagen hatches don't have the round-light issue and carry a small spoiler at the top of the roof and a rear wash/wipe system that clears every part of the glass you might look through. Tail lamps wrap well into the rear side panels but no lights are in the hatch so rear visibility is not compromised loading in the dark. Volkswagen and Audi interiors are often the benchmark for other manufacturers because their designers accomplish more with less, combining expensive-looking materials with simple, attractive styling and excellent ergonomics. The result tends to be inviting cabins that are pleasant places to spend time. The seat contours provide a high degree of support. The seats are easy to adjust with manual controls, and the adjustable steering column and height-adjustable safety belt help drivers of all sizes get comfortable. The thick-rimmed, three-spoke steering wheel frames a gauge cluster dominated by separate, large dials for the tachometer and speedometer, well shaded from ambient light by a curved cowl.
In daylight the graphics read white on black, at night changing to white on soothing swimming-pool blue with lighted red pointers. In either case, the data are easy to comprehend at a glance. Within the tachometer and speedometer are warning lights and advisories about secondary functions, including one thoughtful warning that the fuel filler door was left opened after refueling. A large electronic message pad sits dead center, just over the water temperature and fuel gauges. In addition to more warning and diagnostic symbols, on upper-trim models this display includes trip computer readouts. Trip computer data are accessed by one of three levers mounted on the steering column (or with the available multi-function steering wheel buttons). Jutting to the right, this lever also operates the wiper/washer system. To the left are the levers for the turn signals/headlamp flashers and cruise control. Though easy to use, the levers feel flimsy and are one of the few interior elements that have a cheap, plasticky look. The headlight switch sits on the dash to the left of the steering wheel. Stereo buttons surround the stereo display screen in the center stack and are in full view, a setup we prefer over hidden controls.
