SEOUL - One person has been killed after a massive sinkhole opened up in Seoul, the fire department said Tuesday, with harrowing video footage showing the moment his vehicle was swallowed by the hole.
The vast hole opened up at an intersection in the southeast of the South Korean capital during the evening rush hour around 6.30pm on Monday.
Dashcam footage shared with AFP by a local lawmaker shows the hole appearing abruptly in the middle of a busy street, with a motorbike being swallowed up instantly as a car narrowly escapes the same fate, sliding into the hole before somehow bouncing out.
he fire department conducted a major search, with rescue workers wearing wetsuits and "digging with their hands" alongside a rescue dog, in a frantic 17-hour hunt for the motorcyclist.
However, on Tuesday "the missing person who is in his thirties, was discovered in cardiac arrest, approximately 50 metres from the centerline of the sinkhole," Kim Chang-seop, an official from the Gangdong Fire Station, told reporters.
"He was buried at a depth of approximately 90 centimetres and was found intact, still wearing his helmet and motorcycle boots," said Kim, adding they "regret that we are unable to deliver better news."
The driver of the car suffered minor injuries.
The hole is now around 20 metres wide and 20 metres deep, the fire department said.