Shocking footage has captured the moment a motorcyclist plunged into a massive sinkhole in eastern Seoul, with the victim appearing to brake just moments before falling — but it was too late.

The motorcyclist, a man in his 30s, was found dead on Tuesday after an overnight search by emergency workers, South Korean officials confirmed.

The sinkhole, estimated to be around 20 metres wide and 20 metres deep, suddenly opened up at an intersection in the Myeongil-dong neighbourhood on Monday afternoon, swallowing the motorcyclist and partially injuring a woman whose van was passing over the site.

At a televised briefing, emergency officer Kim Chang Seob said the man’s body was discovered just before noon on Tuesday. He was still wearing his helmet and motorcycle boots. Rescue teams had earlier located his Japanese-made motorcycle and mobile phone before reaching him.

“Rescuers used excavators, shovels and other equipment to find him,” said Kim. A woman driving a van over the sinkhole at the time did not fall in, but sustained minor injuries, officials said.

The cause of the sinkhole remains under investigation.

Shocking footage shows moment motorcyclist falls into massive Seoul sinkhole before being found dead

Comment Guidelines