Terrifying moment dog walker, 21, is swallowed by ground after falling into huge manhole

THIS is the terrifying moment a dog walker is swallowed up by the ground after dropping into an enormous manhole.

Shocking footage shows the 21-year-old woman suddenly disappearing from the pavement, leaving her dog barking for help on the side of the road.

CCTV shows Juliana Mara Schiel walking her dog Pitu down a road in Cuiabá, Brazil.

All of a sudden, she steps onto a loose paving stone and plummets into the ground, disappearing from sight.

Little Pitu was left barking in distress on the pavement, desperately trying to get the attention of passing cars.

The paving stone was the width of the pavement and looked like any other – there was no way to know it would give way.

Juliana called for help from the manhole for several minutes, confused and injured from her fall.

Video shows a passer-by eventually stopping and flagging down a car to get help.

Locals clamber out and rescue Juliana from the hole, before helping her to hospital.

The dog walker broke teeth in the fall and needed stitches in her chin and mouth.

She later told local media it took her a few seconds to understand where she was because it “all happened very quickly” – one second she had been walking her dog, carefree, and the next she was in pain, in a dark hole.

Juliana said: “It didn’t feel real. I was really confused. The first thing I did when I managed to grab my phone was call my mum.”

She added: “My shoulder still hurts quite a lot. I also twisted my ankle and ended up covered in scrapes and bruises all over my body.”

Juliana is now on a strict diet of eating only soft, cold foods while she recovers from her mouth injuries.

She thinks dog Pitu played a key role in her rescue, saying: “I think she helped people notice because she was on a lead and stayed close by.”

After the terrifying accident, Cuiabá’s Department of Infrastructure and Public Works said in a statement: “To ensure the safety of pedestrians and drivers, the area will be properly signposted on Monday (18 May) afternoon.

“Between 2025 and 2026, around 500 manhole covers have already been replaced or reinstalled by the municipality, most of them due to structural damage and breakage.”

Juliana considers herself lucky that she wasn’t more seriously hurt.

She said: “When I watched the video afterwards, I thought it could have been much worse.

“If it had been a child or an elderly person, the consequences might have been even more serious.”