A man who fell into a massive sinkhole in Seoul, South Korea, has been found dead, according to the local fire department.
He was riding his motorcycle in Gangdong district when the road suddenly collapsed around 18:30 local time (09:30 GMT) on Monday. Rescuers discovered his body underground on Tuesday at about 11:00 local time, approximately 50 metres (164 feet) from where he had fallen.
A car driver was also injured in the incident, which has gained significant attention on South Korean social media.
“A widely circulated video appears to show the moment the road caved in”
A dashcam video widely shared online seems to capture the exact moment the road gave way near a traffic junction. It shows the motorcyclist plunging into the hole while a car ahead of him narrowly avoids falling in.
Earlier on Tuesday, rescuers found a mobile phone and the motorcycle inside the sinkhole, which measures 20 metres wide and 20 metres deep, according to local reports.
Authorities have not yet released the man’s name, but he is believed to be in his 30s.
Kim Chang-seop, head of Gangdong fire station, said at an earlier briefing that the hole contained 2,000 tons of soil and water.
Officials have yet to determine what caused the sinkhole.
A report recently submitted to the Seoul city government revealed that 223 sinkholes had appeared in the city over the past decade. Factors include poor infrastructure management, ageing or damaged pipes, gradual ground subsidence, and excavation-related incidents.
In January, a truck driver went missing after his vehicle fell into a sinkhole at a junction in Yashio, Japan.
Last August, authorities in Kuala Lumpur called off a week-long search for a woman who disappeared into a pavement sinkhole in the city centre.
“One of the most common reasons for a sinkhole is when rocks like limestone or chalk break down”
Sinkholes often occur when limestone or chalk beneath the surface dissolves over time, creating a depression that may gradually expand.
In some cases, limestone lies beneath a harder rock layer, meaning the surface shows no warning signs until the overlying rock—such as clay or sandstone—suddenly collapses into the void below, forming a “collapse sinkhole.”
Human activities like excavation can also accelerate sinkhole formation or trigger sudden ground collapses.
