20-meter wide sinkhole in Seoul swallows motorcyclist, rider found the next day in state of cardiac arrest

20-meter wide sinkhole in Seoul swallows motorcyclist, rider found hours later

A massive 20-metre-wide sinkhole suddenly opened up on a road in Seoul on Monday (24 March), swallowing a motorcyclist and his vehicle.

According to authorities, the sinkhole appeared at 6.29pm near an elementary school in Gangdong Ward, an eastern district of the city.

The motorcyclist, a man in his 30s, was found the next day (25 March) in a state of cardiac arrest.

A passing driver, who had travelled through the area moments before the collapse, also sustained injuries and was hospitalised, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Motorcyclist found 50 metres away from sinkhole

Rescue teams launched an intensive overnight search, eventually locating a mobile phone in the sinkhole at around 1.37am, which they believed belonged to the missing rider.

His motorcycle was then discovered about two hours later, 30 metres from the collapse site.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

At approximately 11.22am, authorities finally found the man about 50 metres from the sinkhole.

Schools close as safety precaution

The sheer depth of the sinkhole — estimated at 20 metres — has raised serious safety concerns, leading to the closure of four nearby schools on Tuesday (25 March).

The affected schools include:

• Seoul Daemyeong Elementary School
• Hanyoung Middle School and High School
• Hanyoung Foreign Language High School

As a precaution, Hanyoung Middle and High Schools also informed parents and students that water and gas services had been suspended overnight.

Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the collapse.

Also read: Truck falls into massive sinkhole in Japan, driver still stuck over 24 hours later

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Featured image adapted from Yonhap News Agency.