The site of a sinkhole, 20 meters wide and 18 meters deep, at an intersection in Seoul's Gangdong Ward is shown, one day after it opened and swallowed a motorcyclist, Seoul, March 25. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A motorcyclist who fell into a massive sinkhole that opened on a Seoul street was found dead after around 17 hours, officials said Tuesday.
The roughly 20-meter-wide, the 20-meter-deep sinkhole appeared at an interception in the Myeongil-dong neighborhood in eastern Seoul on Monday afternoon, swallowing the motorcyclist and injuring a woman whose van was passing over the site, according to safety and emergency offices.
The motorcyclist, who was in his 30s, was found in cardiac arrest before noon on Tuesday, emergency officer Kim Chang-sup told a televised briefing. Kim later described the man's status as dead but refused to disclose the exact cause of his death.
Kim said the man was found wearing a helmet and motorcycle boots. Kim said that rescue workers found his Japanese-made motorcycle and mobile phone before reaching his body. He said rescuers used excavators, shovels and other equipment to find him.
Kim said the injured woman didn't fall into the sinkhole and she sustained minor injuries.
The cause of the sinkhole was under investigation.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited the site on Monday night and asked authorities to rescue the motorcyclist quickly and find why the sinkhole happened to prevent recurrences of similar incidents.