On March 24, at around 6:29 PM KST, a sinkhole about 20 meters in diameter suddenly collapsed in Gangdong-gu.
Until early this morning, only the motorcycle and personal belongings were found.
It was reported that the motorcyclist was buried under the sinkhole, which was estimated to be about 30 m deep.
During the press briefing, the head of the Fire Administration Division revealed they were trying various methods to find the motorcyclist.
The rescue team was making their way through the mud but couldn’t deploy rescue teams because there were many cracks near the ceiling of the sinkhole.
— Fire Department
Authorities also revealed there was a possibility that the motorcyclist may have flown into the mud and water.
The important thing is to drain the water. A regular water pump is impossible to use because the water is mixed with soil.
— Fire Department
Experts agreed, revealing that 72 hours after an accident is the “golden time” for people to be rescued.
Most recently, at the briefing held at 1 PM on March 25, it was confirmed that the motorcyclist was confirmed dead.
A man in his thirties was buried and found in cardiac arrest at around 11:22 AM. After a 17-hour struggle, he was found 50 meters away from the center line of the sinkhole that collapsed. We regret that we cannot report good news.
— Fire Department
Previously, one person riding a van suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital after the sinkhole collapsed.
