A 2.5m Sinkhole in the Heart of Seoul… Investigation Underway
A sinkhole has occurred at a construction site in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, causing nearby residents to evacuate.
According to Dongdaemun-gu, fire department, and police on the 24th, the sinkhole was reported at approximately 7:35 PM the previous day at the underground parking lot construction site of the complex building in Imun-dong.
The depth of the sinkhole has been assessed to be 2.5m, with a width of approximately 13㎡.
Initially, it was reported that a nearby building tilted due to the ground subsidence, and one person trapped inside was rescued; however, it has been confirmed that a senior citizen in their 70s evacuated on their own later.
There were no reports of power outages or property damage.
A total of 52 personnel and 15 pieces of equipment from the fire department, police, district office, and Korea Electric Power Corporation were dispatched to the scene. Barriers were erected around the site to block access for vehicles and residents.
Thirty-five residents from a neighboring building to the sinkhole have evacuated to nearby lodging facilities.
Dongdaemun-gu sent a message advising local residents that "electricity, water, and gas supplies may be interrupted due to the ground subsidence incident," requesting them to take precautions.
The incident site had already experienced slight ground subsidence the same morning, leading to repair work.
A Dongdaemun-gu official explained, "After recovery work, a gap as large as a man's forearm appeared, causing water from the water supply to leak out," adding that the ground subsidence occurred around 7:30 PM.
Authorities are currently conducting a detailed analysis of the cause of the ground subsidence in cooperation with experts and relevant organizations.
Image source: A sinkhole occurred at a construction site in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 23rd, and Dongdaemun-gu, fire department, and police are managing the situation. / News1, reference photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank
