By Lee Kyung-min
Residents in Geumcheon, southwestern Seoul, remained anxious, Sunday, after some 200 people were evacuated from their homes following a sinkhole forming near their apartment complex, early Friday.
Some of them returned home, but a larger number of the remaining residents are staying in hotels or community centers nearby after fire authorities said Saturday that a further land collapses are feared in the area.
According to Geumcheon District Office, inspections are ongoing to determine how tilted apartment buildings in the complex are and whether it is safe for residents to return home. A full inspection of the 18 buildings in the complex will take up to two months, it added.
One of the buildings was tilted at five degrees; while no major safety issues were detected at two other buildings near the sinkhole. The recent heavy downpour saturated the ground, contributing to the land collapse, the authorities said.
In Korea, over 4,500 sinkholes have been reported over the past five years, with Seoul accounting for over 78 percent of them.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport to Rep. Min Kyung-wook of the Liberty Korea Party, 960 sinkholes were reported last year; 828 in 2016; 1,036 in 2015; 858 in 2014; and 898 in 2013.