2 motorbikes fall in, water pipes damaged as sinkhole opens in Taiwan; no injuries reported

A sinkhole opened up in Douliu, Yunlin County in Taiwan, damaging two motorcycles and water pipes on Saturday (Aug 31) morning.

According to Taiwan's Central News Agency, it measured a length and width of 7.3m by 3.7m and a depth of 1.4m, and opened up around 9am while the bikes were parked on the pavement over it. 

Photos also show water spraying out of a damaged pipe.

Nobody was injured in the incident.

The mayor of Douliu, Lin Sheng-jue, said that the location of the sinkhole is a water conservancy ditch covered by concrete. As it has been used for more than 20 years, the influence of gravity coupled with the cracking of cement, and other factors, resulted in the formation of the sinkhole.

He added that the pavement, which was cordoned off, will be repaired as soon as possible, and the Douliu City Office will also do a follow-up on the sinkhole, strengthen the ditch and plant steel bars, and then prepare a budget to build a new pavement. 

This incident comes after a female tourist fell into a sinkhole on Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 23, and the whole street was cordoned off when a second sinkhole appeared just 50 metres away five days later. The nine-day search for the missing woman was called off on Aug 31.

On Aug 29, two elderly passengers in a car were also seriously injured as it was swallowed by a sinkhole measuring 6m wide, 4m long and 2.5m deep on a four-lane road in the Seodaemun District of Seoul, South Korea. A female passenger in her 70s and a male driver in his 80s were taken to hospital. 

The woman had reportedly gone into cardiac arrest, but later recovered her pulse, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily.

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drimac@asiaone.com