A routine ride turned into a tragedy in Seoul. A motorcyclist in his 30s disappeared into a massive sinkhole that swallowed him and his bike in an instant. No warning. No time to react. The ground simply opened up beneath him. First responders launched a desperate search, working through the night, but it was too late.
The sinkhole was no small cavity. It stretched 65 feet across and plunged 65 feet down, a gaping void in the Gangdong district. An entire section of road vanished, leaving a terrifying reminder of how unstable urban infrastructure can be. Rescuers had to pump out water, dig through unstable soil, and maneuver around construction debris just to recover the victim. After 18 hours, they finally pulled him from the depths, his motorcycle and mobile phone found alongside him.
Another driver barely escaped. A woman in her 40s, behind the wheel of a van, was nearby when the ground gave way. She was lucky. Minor injuries, but no plunge into the abyss. It could have been much worse.
Officials are scrambling to understand what happened. Sinkholes don’t just appear without a cause. Was it weak soil? A broken water main? A failure of nearby construction support? No one has the answer yet, but the city is investigating. For now, the streets of Seoul carry an unsettling question: where might the earth give way next?
NEW: Motorcyclist who vanished into a sinkhole on Monday, found deceased after an 18-hour search.
The man was seen riding his motorcycle on a road in Seoul, South Korea when a 65 feet wide and 65 feet deep sinkhole opened up.
The motorcyclist was identified by officials as… pic.twitter.com/K0uE8PKHLR
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 25, 2025
Source:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sinkhole-seoul-south-korea-motorcyclist-found-dead/