Sinkhole in Taiwan pavement damages 2 motorcycles, area cordoned off

No injuries reported after sinkhole appears in Taiwan pavement

About a week after a woman vanished into a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur (KL), a sinkhole opened up along a roadside in Taiwan, damaging two motorcycles.

The area has been cordoned off by the authorities for the safety of road users.

Sinkhole opens up along busy road in Taiwan on 31 Aug

The incident took place at about 9am on Saturday (31 Aug) morning in the city of Douliu, Yunlin county, reported the China Times.

As several vehicles and pedestrians passed by the busy Wenhua Road, a loud “boom” was heard.

The pavement outside a housing agency then caved in, shocking people at the agency, a nearby clinic and a breakfast diner opposite.

Two motorcycles parked there went down with the pavement.

This caused them to sustain some damage.

A pipe also appeared to have ruptured, causing a spout of water to splash onto the depression.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported as nobody was in the affected area at the time.

Taiwan sinkhole cordoned off

Douliu City Office spokesman Sun Wangtian (transliterated from Mandarin) said the V-shaped sinkhole was about 7m long, 4m wide and 1.5m deep.

After the authorities were alerted, they closed off the affected area with construction cones to prevent people from falling in.

The collapsed portion of the pavement is a farmland water conservancy ditch that is covered by two layers of cement, he said.

Eyewitnesses speculated that the surface had been weakened by the recent hot weather coupled with bouts of thunderstorms.

Mr Sun confirmed that the collapse had also damaged water pipes under the surface.

The City Office and other relevant agencies would be conducting joint inspections and repairs, he said.

Safeguards would also be strengthened in the interest of public safety, he added.

Fourth sinkhole reported in Asia in one week

The sinkhole in Taiwan is the fourth reported in Asia in about a week.

Just two days before on 29 Aug, a car fell into a sinkhole that opened up in a road in South Korea, leaving two people hospitalised with severe injuries.

And five days after the sinkhole in KL swallowed up a female tourist on 23 Aug, another sinkhole emerged just 50m away, prompting the whole road to be closed.

Also read: M’sian authorities suspend sinkhole rescue operation due to safety concerns, will transition to recovery mission

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from China Times 中時新聞網 on Facebook and TVBS News on YouTube.