A motorcyclist in Seoul, South Korea, was engulfed by a massive sinkhole that opened suddenly on a an express road.
The 33-year-old man identified by his surname Park, was found dead before noon on Tuesday, March 25, after 17 hours of overnight search efforts.
Harrowing dashcam footage from a vehicle travelling behind him shows the biker plunging right into the sinkhole that opened suddenly on Monday afternoon, March 24.
A white vehicle, driving ahead of the bike just before the road collapsed, was almost swallowed up by the sinkhole. But the driver accelerated, causing the car to bounce back onto the road.
The shocking dashcam footage also shows the white vehicle narrowly escaping the horror.
The driver of the white vehicle only suffered minor injuries.
The motorcyclist’s body was found lying in a subway tunnel, 164 feet (50m) away from the centre of the pit, 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.
The sinkhole, 65 feet (20m) wide and deep, appeared at an intersection in the Gangdong District in Seoul.
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.
The incident, captured on a dashboard camera, went viral and raised concerns about road safety. Despite rescue efforts, the motorcyclist did not survive.
Watch the video below.
