At around 6:30 PM local time on Monday, a road in the Gangdong district caved in as a man was riding his motorbike. A sinkhole roughly 66 feet wide and deep appeared at an intersection in the Myeongil-dong neighborhood in eastern Seoul on Monday afternoon, swallowing the motorcyclist and injuring a woman whose van was passing over the site, according to local safety and emergency services.
Such incidents aren’t uncommon—in the past decade, 223 sinkholes have formed in the city. These were mainly caused by poor infrastructure management, damaged pipes, long-term subsidence (land sinking due to groundwater extraction), and excavation accidents. Over time, the land also experiences a gradual breakdown, causing the depression to grow.
On Tuesday, at around 11:00 AM, his body was recovered 164 feet from where he fell. The man died from the fall; however, the woman luckily didn’t fall into the sinkhole and was able to escape, sustaining minor injuries. The man appeared to be in his 30s, but has yet to be identified by authorities. A dashcam video going viral on social media platforms such as TikTok appears to be showing the road caving in and the motorcyclist falling into the hole.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited the site on Monday night and asked authorities to find out why the sinkhole happened and prevent recurrences of similar incidents. After a thorough investigation, the head of Gangdong Fire Station, Kim Chang-seop, revealed that the hole contained 2000 tons of soil and water. The rescue was made even trickier due to heavy machinery scattered throughout the site, as the machine could not travel and rescue the man easily, and it took 17 hours to recover the man’s body.
The mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon, told reporters, “We will identify the cause of the accident as quickly as possible to ensure that such incidents are not repeated and citizens can use the roads confidently.” As the victim’s family mourns their loss, the authorities are working hard to ensure such incidents do not happen again.
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