Sinkhole in South Korea Swallows an SUV Leaving Two People Injured

Sinkhole in South Korea Swallows an SUV Leaving Two People Injured

A sinkhole suddenly opened up in South Korea's capital on Thursday, swallowing an SUV and injuring its two occupants, according to emergency workers.

Photos from the scene revealed a white SUV submerged in the 2.5-meter-deep (eight-foot-deep) hole that appeared on a street in central Seoul.

Emergency responders rescued the vehicle’s 82-year-old male driver and a 76-year-old female passenger. No other injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred around 11:20 a.m. (0220 GMT), as per Seoul’s Seodaemun district fire station.

The conditions of the injured individuals were not immediately known. Traffic in the Seodaemun area remained restricted as of Thursday evening while workers and officials worked to repair the damaged road and investigate the cause of the sinkhole.

South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport informed lawmakers last year that at least 879 sinkholes were reported across the country from 2019 to June 2023, with nearly half resulting from damaged sewer pipes.

Just last week, a 48-year-old tourist from India went missing in Malaysia’s capital after the pavement collapsed beneath her, causing her to fall into an eight-meter-deep (26-foot-deep) sinkhole. Officials believe she may have been swept away by an underground water current.