Jeff Bush, Florida Resident Swallowed By Sinkhole, Presumed Dead

Jeff Bush has still not been retrieved from the sinkhole that swallowed him along with his bedroom on Friday in his suburban Tampa home.

Authorities tried throughout the day to determine whether or not Jeff was still alive beneath the rubble. While listening devices and cameras were lowered down into the sunken pit, it was deemed unsafe for emergency personnel to descend into the pit to search for him.

"There is a very large, very fluid mass underneath this house rendering the entire house and the entire lot dangerous and unsafe," Bill Bracken, the head of an engineering company assisting fire and rescue officials, according to the Chicago Tribune. Houses on either side of the Bush household have since been evacuated.

Bush, 36, was already asleep while the other members of his family were getting ready for bed when the floor to his room collapsed. His family members heard a crash and the sound of Jeff screaming. Jeremy Bush (pictured above), Jeff’s brother, attempted to rescue his brother in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe to no fruition.

"Everything was gone. My brother's bed, my brother's dresser, my brother's TV. My brother was gone," Jeremy told CNN. "I couldn't get him out. I tried so hard. I tried everything I could," he said through tears. "I could swear I heard him calling out."

Sinkholes are not an unheard of problem in Florida, especially in Hillsboro country where this tragedy occurred – which is known as “sinkhole alley.” In fact, two-thirds of the sinkhole-related insurance claims in the state are filed from the county, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. They’re caused by the geological makeup of the Earth in the area, which consists of limestone and other carbonate rock that is easily corroded by acidic ground water.