NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge has granted final approval of a $48.1 million class-action settlement for Louisiana residents affected by a 37-acre sinkhole that opened two years ago has been swallowing land ever since.

U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey said Wednesday there were no objections to the settlement. It will compensate 269 people who lived in the Assumption Parish community of Bayou Corne.

Texas Brine was operating a salt mine that’s believed to have caused the sinkhole. A spokesman for the company says some 88 families were involved with the settlement that dismisses all claims against the company.

Texas Brine also has settled with other residents.

The sinkhole is now nearly 37 acres and, according to a survey about two weeks ago, its depth measurement was at 271 feet.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com

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