ソウルの路上に巨大な陥没穴、バイク運転手が転落死

【ソウルＡＦＰ＝時事】韓国の首都ソウルで２４日、交差点に突然、巨大な陥没穴が開き、バイクに乗っていた１人が死亡した。消防当局が２５日に発表した。（写真は韓国の首都ソウルの道路に出現した陥没穴）
　２４日午後６時３０分頃、夕方のラッシュアワーだったソウル南東部の交差点に陥没穴が出現した。
　地元議員がＡＦＰに提供したドライブレコーダーの映像には、通行の激しい通りの中央に突然穴が開き、バイクが瞬時に飲み込まれる瞬間が映っていた。
　また車１台が同じく穴に滑り落ちたが、なんとか跳ね返されて脱出する様子も映っていた。
　消防当局は１７時間をかけて、バイク運転手の大規模な捜索を実施。
　救助隊員はウェットスーツを着用し、「手で掘りながら」救助犬と共に必死の捜索を続けたが、２５日になって「行方不明となっていた３０代の男性が、陥没穴の中心線から約５０メートル離れた場所で心停止状態で発見された」と発表した。
　男性の遺体は深さ約９０センチの地点に埋もれ、ヘルメットとバイクブーツを着用したままで、外傷はなかったという。
　車の運転手は軽傷を負った。
　消防署によると、陥没穴は現在、幅約２０メートル、深さ２０メートルに達している。
　近隣の一部の学校は２５日、安全上の懸念から休校となった。
　陥没の原因についてはこれから調査が行われるが、現場では地下鉄の延伸工事が行われていた。
　陥没穴による事故は韓国ではまれ。毎年の報告数は平均２００件未満で、日本で記録されている数よりもはるかに少ない。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/03/25-18:29）

One person has been killed after a massive sinkhole opened up in Seoul, the fire department said Tuesday, with harrowing video footage showing the moment his vehicle was swallowed by the hole.
The vast hole opened up at an intersection in the southeast of the South Korean capital during the evening rush hour around 6:30 pm on Monday.
Dashcam footage shared with AFP by a local lawmaker shows the hole appearing abruptly in the middle of a busy street, with a motorbike being swallowed up instantly as a car narrowly escapes the same fate, sliding into the hole before somehow bouncing out.
The fire department conducted a major search, with rescue workers wearing wetsuits and digging with their hands alongside a rescue dog, in a frantic 17-hour hunt for the motorcyclist.
However, on Tuesday the missing person who is in his thirties, was discovered in cardiac arrest, approximately 50 metres from the centerline of the sinkhole, Kim Chang-seop, an official from the Gangdong Fire Station, told reporters.
He was buried at a depth of approximately 90 centimeters (three feet) and was found intact, still wearing his helmet and motorcycle boots, said Kim, adding they regret that we are unable to deliver better news.
The driver of the car suffered minor injuries.
The hole is now around 20 metres (66 feet) wide and 20 metres deep, the fire department said.
A handful of schools nearby closed on Tuesday citing safety concerns.
The cause of the sinkhole will be investigated, but the accident occurred at a site where extension work for a metro line was underway.
A Seoul city spokesperson told AFP it was clear the construction could have been one of several possible contributing factors.
There were several factors at play. Once the surrounding soil and debris are cleared, we will conduct a full investigation into the cause of the accident with a team of experts, the spokesperson said.
Sinkhole accidents are rare in South Korea, with fewer than 200 reported cases every year on average -- significantly less than the number recorded in neighbouring Japan.