The body of an American swallowed by a sinkhole at his home two days earlier, couldn't be retrieved and officials stopped the search.

The 60-foot-deep sinkhole that suddenly opened below the house of 37-year-old Jeff Bush and gulped him down, forced other families in the Tampa-area neighborhood to evacuate as it has got too deep and too dangerous for rescue efforts to continue.

Bush's brother Jeremy was the last one to hear his screams — and the muffled cries for help that came from the gorge that claimed him.

Jeremy told reporters he woke up Thursday night to something that sounded like a car crash then a scream. By the time he got to his brother's room, the sinkhole had already swallowed Jeff's bed and dresser.

Jeremy jumped into the giant opening, he told reporters: "The hole was still caving in, but I didn't care... I just wanted my brother, man" after the police succeeded in pulling him out.

A geotechnical engineer who examined the hole stated that in most cases, homes near sinkholes show some signs of distress, such as cracks on the walls adding that this was an "incredibly unusual" case because the entire sinkhole was located beneath the home's foundation.

A website through which people could donate to those affected by the sinkhole was created at http://www.firefighter-relief.com urging people to support Jeff's family as the home has been condemned and the family is unable to retrieve any of their personal property and all is lost.

-latimes