In a dramatic incident on Thursday, a sinkhole appeared suddenly on a busy road in Seoul’s Seodaemun district, swallowing an SUV and injuring its two elderly occupants. The white Tivoli SUV rolled over and crashed into the sinkhole, which opened without warning around 11:20 a.m. local time. The two elderly passengers, a woman in her 70s and a man in his 80s, sustained serious injuries and were quickly transported to a nearby hospital.
Sinkhole in Seoul pic.twitter.com/JpxNi72NMO
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The unexpected appearance of the sinkhole caused significant disruption in the area, resulting in severe traffic congestion. Dramatic images from the scene depict the vehicle nearly fully engulfed by the massive hole. Authorities have cordoned off the affected area and are investigating the cause of the sinkhole. According to the Seoul Seodaemun district fire station, no other injuries were reported.
This incident follows a similar event in Kuala Lumpur, where a 48-year-old Indian tourist, Vijayalakshmi from Chittoor district’s Animiganipalle village, fell into a sinkhole while walking along a footpath. The ground gave way, swallowing her into an underground sewer. Her husband and son managed to escape the collapse. Rescue operations are ongoing, with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu urging effective search efforts through the Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu (APNRT) Society.