Motorcyclist who disappeared into huge Seoul sinkhole found dead after overnight search

Rescue authorities inspect a sinkhole on an intersection in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Suh Dae-hyun/Yonhap via AP)

SEOUL, South Korea — A motorcyclist who fell into a cavernous sinkhole that opened on a Seoul street was found dead after an overnight search, officials in South Korea’s capital said Tuesday.

The roughly 20-meter-wide, 20-meter-deep sinkhole appeared at an intersection 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 before noon on Tuesday, emergency officer Kim Chang Seob told a televised briefing. Kim said the man was found wearing a helmet and motorcycle boots, and that rescue workers found his Japanese-made motorcycle and mobile phone before reaching his body. Kim 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 find why the sinkhole happened and prevent recurrences of similar incidents.

Hyung-jin Kim, The Associated Press