A sinkhole occurred in Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 24th. /Courtesy of internet capture

A large land subsidence (sinkhole) occurred around 6:29 p.m. on the 24th near the intersection of Daemyeong Elementary School entrance in Myungil-dong, Gangdong District, Seoul. The sinkhole encompasses four lanes. The road where the accident occurred, Dongnam-ro, has six lanes in both directions.

According to the Seoul City government, one motorcycle fell under the road due to this incident. The fire authorities are currently engaged in a rescue operation for one person riding the motorcycle.

However, the sinkhole is large, and there are concerns of further collapse. It is estimated to be 18 meters wide, 20 meters long, and 30 meters deep. Water is still leaking from a broken water supply pipe inside the sinkhole, although the flow has decreased.

(Seoul=News1) Reporter Lee Seung-bae reports that a sinkhole has occurred at an intersection near Daemyung Elementary School in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 24th, causing the area to be cordoned off. Mar. 24, 2025 /Courtesy of News1

A white Carnival vehicle passed just before the road collapsed. The vehicle was damaged on the underside, and the 48-year-old driver, Heo Mo, was injured and taken to the hospital.

Gangdong District, Seoul, has completely blocked traffic in both directions on the section of Dongnam-ro from the Gildong Ecological Park to the Daemyeong Elementary School entrance intersection immediately after the incident. They sent safety guidance text messages to residents, asking them to "use detour roads."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon noted, "Please do your best to ensure there are no casualties from the land subsidence and to secure the area during the rescue operations." He also mentioned that the size of the sinkhole is increasing, raising concerns about secondary accidents during the rescue efforts, and urged for heightened safety precautions.

A sinkhole occurred near the intersection at the entrance of Daemyung Elementary School in Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, at around 6:29 PM on the 24th. /Courtesy of internet capture

It has been determined that there were precursor signs near the scene before the sinkhole accident. Lee Mo, who operates a gas station nearby, discovered a slight collapse of the manhole next to the road around 10 a.m. that day and reported it to Gangdong District around 10:30 a.m. A district official stated that emergency repairs were conducted between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m., and additional emergency repairs were carried out with an excavator around 3 p.m. According to Lee, the sinkhole formed about one to one and a half hours after the repairs were completed.

Lee said, "There were precursor signs since the end of February. The gas station floor had started to crack and sink," adding, "I filed a complaint with the Seoul City government and a safety inspection was conducted a week ago." Construction for the extension of subway line 9 is underway near the site where the sinkhole occurred.