Motorcyclist found dead after being trapped in 20-meter-wide sinkhole in Seoul

A sinkhole that opened up here in Seoul back on Monday killed one person and has temporarily closed four schools in the vicinity as authorities now seek the cause of the tragic event.

Park Kun-woo reports.

A motorcyclist who had been trapped in a large sinkhole in Seoul was found dead at around 11:30 AM on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old was identified after around 17 hours of rescue efforts, from when the approximately 20-meter-wide and deep sinkhole appeared on Monday evening.

An official explained that the search operations were made more difficult due to thousands of tons of water and soil filling the sinkhole.

"Accumulated soil and water raised the water level and construction equipment got tangled up, making it impossible to enter the area right away."

The victim was discovered several hours after his mobile phone and motorbike were found underground earlier that morning.

A car driver who passed over the area of road just before the collapse was injured and transported to hospital.

The sinkhole appeared in the middle of a road in Myeongil-dong of Gangdong-gu District, eastern Seoul, at around 6:30 PM on Monday, affecting four lanes of a six-lane road.

Due to concerns of further collapses, four nearby schools were temporarily closed on Tuesday.

Fire authorities point out a possible link to the nearby subway Line 9 extension project and a burst underground pipeline as potential causes of the incident.

Seoul officials plan to conduct a thorough investigation to find out the actual cause with experts and related organizations.

An emergency safety measure meeting was also held by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Tuesday morning to discuss follow-up measures.

Park Kun-woo, Arirang News.