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A Florida man has disappeared into a 20ft-deep (6m) sinkhole that swallowed up a bedroom in his house.

Jeffrey Bush, 36, is presumed dead after rescue crews failed to make contact with him.

Officials in the town near Tampa have postponed further rescue efforts until they determine how much of the ground under the house is compromised.

Sinkholes are common in certain parts of Florida, Hillsborough County's fire chief said.

"Florida essentially sits on a system of caverns," Chief Ron Rogers said, saying water erosion in the caverns causes them to collapse and sinkholes to form on the surface.

The sinkhole is currently 30ft wide and 20ft deep, but officials have established a 100ft-wide safety zone, fearing the top of the sinkhole is growing.

One of the first responders to the house had to pull Jeremy Bush back from digging through the widening hole.

"All they could see was a part of a mattress sticking out of the hole," Chief Rogers said. "Essentially the floor of that room had opened up."

There has been no contact with Jeffrey Bush since then, although officials said they had inserted cameras and listening kit into the hole.

Neighbours on both sides of the home have been evacuated.