Motorcyclist who vanished into sinkhole is found dead following search

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Massive sinkhole swallows motorcyclist in South Korea

A motorcyclist was found dead after vanishing into a massive sinkhole in South Korea’s largest city. 

The sinkhole, estimated to be around 65 feet wide and 65 feet deep, opened up at an intersection in the Myeongil-dong neighborhood in eastern Seoul on Monday afternoon, swallowing the victim and injuring a woman whose van was passing over the area, officials told the Associated Press. 

The motorcyclist, identified as a man in his 30s, was found before noon on Tuesday, emergency officer Kim Chang Seob announced during a televised briefing.  

Kim said the man was found wearing a helmet and motorcycle boots, and that rescue workers discovered his Japanese-made motorcycle and cell phone before reaching his body.  

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Rescue workers walk past a sinkhole outside a plant shop on a road in Seoul on March 25. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

He was quoted by Reuters as saying that it took first responders almost 18 hours to find the victim as they had to pump out water and dig through dirt and other debris. 

Kim added that rescuers used excavators, shovels and other equipment to find him. 

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A motorcyclist was found dead inside the sinkhole in Seoul on Tuesday, March 25, officials said. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

The cause of the sinkhole remains under investigation. 

The woman who was injured only sustained minor injuries, according to Kim. 

An investigator takes photos of the sinkhole in Seoul, South Korea, on March 25, 2025. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

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Dashboard camera footage taken at the scene showed a vehicle bouncing as it narrowly cleared the sinkhole, before the motorcycle driver plunged into the area, Reuters reported. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.