Californian bombogenesis sinkhole leaves woman hanging for her life

In the wake of the Californian bombogenesis, two cars have been captured plummeting down a sinkhole while one of the drivers was left clinging for her life on national TV.

The incident, which took place in Studio City, an area in Los Angeles, saw one of the cars teetering on the edge of the cavity in the ground before falling down the 20-foot (6m) hole.

One of the cars was found upside down in a pool of rushing water, while a 48-year-old woman balanced on top of the other as she waited for the Los Angeles Fire Department to rescue her.

"That was a very unique and dangerous incident that happened in an area called Studio City," said Captain Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department said to the BBC.

"When firefighters arrived at the scene we had a car that was upside down, a dark sinkhole that was full of rushing water and what we had was a single occupant standing on top of that upside down car about 10 feet below the street," he said. "Fortunately the firefighters jumped into action. They rapidly lowered a 20ft extension ladder down to the woman there and transported her to a local hospital. She told firefighters afterwards that she thought she was going to die."

The other driver of the car was able to escape uninjured before the vehicle fell.

The Californian storm, known as a bombogenesis, has already killed two people, and is expected to last for another week.

It could see 10 trillion gallons of rain fall on the Golden State, which is enough to power Niagra Falls for a total of 154 days, said Ryan Maue, a meteorologist for WeatherBell Analytics.

One man was electrocuted when a power line fell on his car, and another motorist died when they were submerged in a flash flood in Victorville, a town 100 miles east of Los Angeles.