Motorcyclist swallowed by sinkhole found in cardiac arrest
Seoul halts subway line 9 expansion near sinkhole site amid investigation
A motorcyclist who fell into a large sinkhole Monday in Seoul was found in a state of cardiac arrest after a 17-hour-long search by authorities, according to authorities from the Gangdong Fire Station on Tuesday.
The 34-year-old motorcyclist, identified by his last name Park, was found in a state of cardiac arrest at 11:22 a.m., about 50 meters away from where the sinkhole formed, according to a Gangdong Fire Station official.
'Rescue operations were very difficult for authorities, as the soil was heavily mixed with water and the heavy equipment from a nearby construction site were all entangled with one another,' fire authorities told the press Tuesday. 'Authorities were able to identify Park only after the area was drained of water and the soil was removed using heavy machinery.'
At 6:29 p.m., Monday, a 20-meter-wide and 18-meter-deep sinkhole suddenly appeared at an intersection in Gangdong-gu, eastern Seoul, swallowing the motorcyclist and injuring another vehicle driver that passed over the sinkhole just before its collapse.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 17 rescue workers and one rescue dog were deployed to find the missing motorcyclist.
Water pipes running under the road burst as the sinkhole formed and caused flooding, prolonging search operations for the missing motorcyclist.
During overnight search operations, authorities found a mobile phone, presumed to belong to the motorcyclist at 1:37 a.m. At 3:30 a.m., a motorcycle was also found, approximately 30 meters from the sinkhole's original collapse point.
Authorities resumed search operations by using heavy equipment such as excavators to dig through the soil inside the sinkhole. Fire authorities told the press that the sinkhole had initially contained about 2,000 metric tons of water mixed with 6,480 tons of soil. Most of the water was drained overnight using pumps, and rescue personnel dressed in diving suits used shovels to remove soil.
Due to safety concerns, four schools in the area, including Seoul Daemyeong Elementary School, Hanyoung Middle and High schools and Hanyoung Foreign Language High School, were temporarily closed on Tuesday. Authorities also removed all oil tanks at a nearby gas station as a precaution against potential accidents from road vibrations caused by soil removal work inside the sinkhole.
Construction work to extend Seoul Subway Line No. 9 was also underway near the accident site. The city government announced it would temporarily suspend all construction, noting that the project cannot be ruled out as a possible cause of the sinkhole.
At 9:20 p.m. on Monday, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also visited the accident site to be briefed by officials on the details behind the incident and the response measures taken by authorities. On Tuesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Government also hosted an emergency meeting to discuss the ongoing rescue efforts and post-accident, preventive measures the city government should take.
During the emergency meeting, Oh stated that the city government would help conduct a 'thorough investigation to determine the cause behind the incident.'
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