A tragic event transpired in Seoul on Monday evening when a gigantic sinkhole resulted in the death of one person, as verified by the fire department on Tuesday (25th March). Alarming dashcam footage recorded the moment a vehicle was swallowed by the abrupt opening in the ground.
The sinkhole emerged around 6:30 PM during the bustling evening rush at an intersection in the southeastern part of the South Korean capital.
Video footage provided to AFP by a local politician illustrates the hole forming swiftly, completely engulfing a motorcycle in an instant while a car narrowly avoids a similar destiny, skidding perilously close to the abyss before bouncing back.
In the aftermath, emergency crews initiated a thorough search operation, with rescuers clad in wetsuits manually digging alongside specially trained search dogs in a desperate 17-hour mission to find the missing motorcyclist.
Regrettably, on Tuesday, officials disclosed that the man in his 30s was found in cardiac arrest, approximately 50 meters from the center of the sinkhole. Kim Chang-seop, an official from the Gangdong Fire Station, noted, “He was buried at a depth of roughly 90 cm and was discovered intact, still donning his helmet and motorcycle boots.” He expressed sorrow, stating, “We are unable to provide better news.”
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The operator of the car involved in the tragedy suffered only minor injuries.
The sinkhole has now widened to about 20 meters across and 20 meters deep, according to the fire department.
In response to the event, several nearby schools decided to close on Tuesday due to safety worries.
An inquiry into the cause of the sinkhole is currently underway, with the event occurring at a construction site where a metro line extension was under development. A representative for the city of Seoul commented that it was clear that construction could be among “various potential contributing factors.”
“There are numerous factors involved. Once the surrounding soil and debris are removed, we will conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the cause of the incident with a team of specialists,” the representative added.
Occurrences of sinkholes are relatively uncommon in South Korea, averaging less than 200 incidents reported each year, significantly lower than those in neighboring Japan.