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AFP, SEOUL
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One person has been killed after a massive sinkhole opened up in Seoul, the fire department said yesterday, with harrowing video footage showing the moment his vehicle was swallowed by the hole.
The vast hole opened up at an intersection in the southeast of the South Korean capital during the evening rush hour at about 6:30pm on Monday.
Dashcam footage from a local lawmaker shows the hole appearing abruptly in the middle of a busy street, with a motorbike being swallowed up instantly as a car narrowly escapes the same fate, sliding into the hole, before somehow bouncing out.
Rescue workers gather at a sinkhole at an intersection in Seoul on Monday after it opened and swallowed a motorcyclist.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The fire department conducted a major search, with rescue workers wearing wetsuits and “digging with their hands” alongside a rescue dog, in a frantic 17-hour hunt for the motorcyclist.
BODY DISCOVERED
However, yesterday “the missing person, who is in his 30s, was discovered in cardiac arrest, approximately 50m from the center line of the sinkhole,” said Kim Chang-seop, an official from Gangdong Fire Station.
“He was buried at a depth of approximately 90cm and was found intact, still wearing his helmet and motorcycle boots,” Kim said, adding that the fire department “regrets that we are unable to deliver better news.”
The driver of the car suffered minor injuries.
The hole is now about 20m wide and 20m deep, the fire department said.
A handful of schools nearby closed yesterday citing safety concerns.
METRO CONSTRUCTION
The cause of the sinkhole is to be investigated, but the accident occurred at a site where extension work for a metro line was underway.
A Seoul city spokesperson said that it was clear the construction could have been one of “several possible contributing factors.”
“There were several factors at play. Once the surrounding soil and debris are cleared, we will conduct a full investigation into the cause of the accident with a team of experts,” the spokesperson said.
Sinkhole accidents are rare in South Korea, with fewer than 200 reported cases every year on average — significantly less than the number recorded in neighboring Japan.
