Sinkhole Swallows SUV on City Street

Occupants were rescued from Seoul sinkhole
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 29, 2024 8:16 AM CDT
Sinkhole Swallows SUV on City Street
A vehicle that fell into a sinkhole is seen on a street in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024.   (Seo Dae-yeon/Yonhap via AP)

Two people were hospitalized in South Korea's capital Thursday after the road ate their vehicle. Their white Tivoli SUV rolled over into a sinkhole that suddenly appeared on a street in Seoul's Seodaemun district, the Korea Herald reports. The 82-year-old male driver and his passenger, a 76-year-old woman, were rescued from the 8-foot-deep hole, reports the AP. Authorities are investigating the cause of the sinkhole, which caused severe traffic congestion. Government officials have previously said that around half the nearly 900 sinkholes reported in the country between 2019 and 2023 were caused by damaged sewer pipes.

In Malaysia, a visitor from India is still missing six days after she fell into a sinkhole that opened up in a sidewalk in Kuala Lumpur, Sky News reports. Authorities believe Vijaya Lakshmi, 48, was swept away by fast-flowing water after she fell into the 26-foot-deep hole. Rescuers have used ground-penetrating radar and searched tunnels miles away from the site but so far, only her shoes have been recovered, the Telegraph reports. (More sinkhole stories.)

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