A sinkhole measuring about 5 to 6 meters wide and 1 meter deep forms in Sangnok-gu
On the 1st at around 1:30 PM, a sinkhole approximately 10 meters wide and long and 1 meter deep occurred on a road in Geongeon-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, according to Yonhap News.
According to the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, immediately after the sinkhole occurred, the police controlled access around the site and guided drivers to use detour routes. The incident also caused damage to some facilities, including the collapse of stairs connected to a nearby waterfront park.
The scene of the sinkhole occurrence in Ansan. Provided by Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters. Photo by Yonhap News.
There were no casualties as no vehicles were passing over the sinkhole at the time of its occurrence. Authorities who responded after receiving reports of water leakage due to the broken road are controlling access nearby and carrying out restoration work.
The police believe that the underground water supply pipe installed beneath the road was damaged, causing leakage, which led to soil erosion and the subsequent collapse of the road. The relevant authorities are conducting restoration work while assessing that there is no further risk of ground subsidence, and they plan to investigate the exact cause of the accident.
Ansan City announced related information using loudspeakers, as some households near the accident site are believed to have experienced water outages.
Sinkhole occurrence site in Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si. Provided by Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters. Yonhap News Agency
Earlier, on the 23rd at around 6:29 PM, a large-scale ground subsidence accident occurred at an intersection near Daemyeong Elementary School in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. This accident created a large sinkhole measuring 18 meters in length, 18 meters in depth, and 20 meters in width, resulting in the death of a motorcycle rider who fell into the sinkhole.
Such large sinkhole accidents have occurred repeatedly in recent times. In Seoul, in August of last year, a sinkhole appeared in the middle of Seongsan-ro in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, swallowing a passenger car whole. Sinkholes also occurred near Jongno 5-ga Station and Eonju Station on Line 9 in the same year. In Busan, two trucks were buried in a sinkhole accident in September of last year.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
