The incident happened on Monday, March 24, when a huge 65-foot-deep sinkhole opened without warning right in front of a 33-year-old man, according to The Korea Herald.
The rider, who has been publicly identified only by the surname Park, was on his motorcycle in the Myeongil-dong area of Seoul’s Gangdong-gu district when the road gave way beneath him, pulling him into the crater.
Emergency teams launched an intense 18-hour overnight operation to locate Park. During the search, firefighters had to remove an astonishing 430,000 gallons of water that had collected in the sinkhole.
Rescue divers in full gear and a trained sniffer dog were also brought in to help with the search efforts, the outlet noted.
“He was buried at a depth of around 90cm and was found intact, still wearing his helmet and motorcycle boots,” he told reporters, according to Reuters. “We regret that we are unable to deliver better news”
Kim went on to say that heavy equipment like excavators and manual tools like shovels were all used to dig through layers of debris before they could recover Park’s remains.
The city’s statement also added: “Once the surrounding soil and debris are cleared, we will conduct a full investigation into the cause of the accident with a team of experts,”
According to Reuters, footage captured on a dashboard camera showed Park riding behind another vehicle. That vehicle hit a bump and bounced, just barely avoiding the sinkhole.
Authorities told the Associated Press that a woman driving a van also passed through the same area and was hurt during the incident.
However, Fire Station Chief Kim later clarified that the woman did not actually fall into the sinkhole itself.
City officials have now tightened safety rules in response. The mayor’s office also shared this statement: “We will implement safety measures to prevent possible casualties in the future.”
