A tragic incident in Seoul has claimed the life of a motorcyclist after a massive sinkhole suddenly opened up in the city’s Gangdong district. The fatal accident occurred at approximately 18:30 local time (09:30 GMT) on Monday when the road collapsed, plunging the man into the depths below.
Rescue teams worked tirelessly through the night, eventually locating the victim’s body on Tuesday morning around 11:00 local time. His remains were found nearly 50 meters (164 feet) from the point where he initially fell. Authorities have not yet released his identity but confirmed that he was in his 30s.
A car traveling ahead of the motorcycle barely escaped the collapse, though its driver sustained injuries. The terrifying event, captured on dashcam footage, has been widely shared on South Korean social media, sparking concerns about urban infrastructure safety. The video shows the moment the road gave way, engulfing the motorcyclist while the car narrowly avoided a similar fate.
During their search, rescue workers retrieved the victim’s mobile phone and his motorbike from within the gaping hole, which measures approximately 20 meters wide and 20 meters deep. Kim Chang-seop, the head of Gangdong Fire Station, reported that an estimated 2,000 tons of soil and water had accumulated inside the sinkhole, complicating recovery efforts.
The cause of the collapse remains under investigation, but reports indicate that Seoul has experienced 223 sinkhole incidents over the past decade. Experts cite various factors, including aging infrastructure, underground pipe damage, excavation activities, and natural subsidence, as potential contributors to these occurrences.
Seoul’s municipal government has yet to provide a definitive explanation for this latest disaster. However, similar incidents have been reported worldwide. In January, a truck driver in Japan disappeared after his vehicle plunged into a sinkhole at a busy junction in Yashio. Likewise, a woman in Kuala Lumpur vanished last August after falling into a pavement sinkhole, with search efforts eventually being called off.
Sinkholes commonly result from the dissolution of soluble rocks like limestone or chalk, which erode over time, creating underground voids. While some develop gradually, others appear suddenly when an overlying layer of rock or soil collapses. Human activities, particularly construction and excavation, can also accelerate the process, leading to sudden ground failures.
This latest tragedy has renewed calls for improved infrastructure monitoring and preventive measures to avert similar disasters in the future.
