Motorcyclist dies after falling into 65ft deep sinkhole full of sewage
A motorcyclist died in mix of sewage and sand after being swallowed by a sinkhole spanning four lanes of a road in South Korea.
The 33-year-old man fell into the 65.62ft-deep hole when it opened above a subway tunnel, currently under construction in the capital Seoul.
He was found buried beneath dirt, debris and construction equipment 50 metres from where he fell in on Monday.
It took 18 hours to recover his body from a mix of sewage water and sand with the help of diving teams and rescue dogs.
A second person, the driver of a car, narrowly escaped with minor injuries.
Dash cam footage showed the car plunge into sinkhole as it opened beneath it in the Gangdong-gu area of the city.
But it bounced against the tarmac and back onto the solid road
It was followed closely by the motorcyclist who, despite thrusting their feet against the road to slow their speed, couldn’t avoid the chasm.
Car driver Heo Mo, 48, told the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper: ‘I heard thunder from somewhere while I was driving and then I lost consciousness for about 10 seconds.
‘When I came to, I couldn’t see a single car in front of me, and when I looked back, I saw a large hole.
‘I tried to move forward again because I was afraid the car would fall into the hole again, but the car wouldn’t move and the door wouldn’t open, so I barely managed to get out through the window.
‘The accident happened before I had time to step on the brakes. I think I was able to avoid falling into the sinkhole because the car didn’t stop and kept going forward.’
What caused the sinkhole to open beside a flower shop and petrol station is unclear. The incident is under investigation.
Around 2,000 tons of sand and water had mixed together inside the hole, hampering search and rescue efforts. Firefighters pumped roughly 1,800 tons of water from the hole.
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