A man riding a motorbike in Seoul was found dead after being swallowed by a massive sinkhole that opened in the Gangdong district on Monday evening.
The accident occurred around 6:30 p.m. local time, shocking bystanders and sparking widespread reaction online.
According to emergency officials, the rider was discovered more than 16 hours later on Tuesday morning. His body was located approximately 50 meters from the initial collapse point. Authorities confirmed he had fallen into a hole measuring about 20 meters in both width and depth, filled with a mixture of soil and water weighing an estimated 2,000 tons.
The incident was captured by a vehicle’s dashcam, with footage now circulating on social media. The video shows the moment the road suddenly gave way, plunging the motorcyclist into the hole while a car ahead narrowly avoided the collapse.
Rescue teams began searching the area soon after the event, recovering the victim’s motorcycle and mobile phone before locating his body. The victim, believed to be in his 30s, has not yet been publicly named.
A driver of the nearby car also sustained minor injuries but survived the incident.
While the exact cause of the sinkhole is still under investigation, experts have cited a number of possible triggers. A recent report submitted to the Seoul city government revealed that over 220 sinkholes have been reported in the city in the last ten years. These have largely been linked to ageing infrastructure, damaged underground pipes, and soil weakening from construction or excavation work.
Sinkholes can also form naturally, particularly in areas where limestone or chalk dissolves due to groundwater. In some cases, these underground cavities develop gradually before the surface collapses without warning — a phenomenon known as a “collapse sinkhole.”
This isn’t the first tragedy involving a sinkhole in recent months. In January, a truck driver disappeared after falling into a sinkhole in Yashio, Japan. A similar case in Kuala Lumpur last year involved a woman who vanished into the ground while walking, with search efforts eventually halted after a week.
Seoul authorities have not confirmed whether the recent incident will lead to broader infrastructure reviews, but the growing number of such cases has raised concerns about urban safety and long-term planning in the city.