Seoul (South Korea) - The earth collapsed under an intersection in Seoul for reasons as yet unexplained. While an SUV narrowly escaped from the hole in the ground that opened up, a motorcyclist fell in with his bike.

On Monday evening, at around 6.30 pm (local time), the hole suddenly appeared on a busy road, as JoongAng Daily reports.

A dashcam video shows the terrifying moment: the driver of an SUV was just able to escape the accident - the motorcyclist behind him was not so lucky. He was swallowed up by the ground along with his bike.

The search for the victim in the approximately 20-metre-wide and deep hole proved difficult.

According to a local official, it took a full 17 hours before he was finally discovered under the rubble. Unfortunately, the man in his thirties was already dead at this point - he had suffered a cardiac arrest.

The rescue mission involved 17 people, a search dog and two excavators. By the time he was found, almost 6500 tons of sand and earth had accumulated.

There is also an active construction site for the extension of a subway line under the intersection where the ground had collapsed. The construction work was initially stopped for safety reasons.

The police are now investigating whether the accident is related to the construction work and any regulations that may not have been adhered to.