Concerns grow over frequent sinkholes in roads 도로에 빈발하는 싱크홀로 우려증대

[김우정]

지난 목요일 서울시 연희동에서 싱크홀이 생겨서 82세의 남편과 79세의 아내가 중환자실에서 회복중입니다.

싱크홀은 가로 6m, 세로 4m, 깊이 2.5m로 차량 1대가 완전히 빠졌습니다.

금요일에도 사고지점과 가까운곳에 싱크홀이 발생하여 시민들의 걱정이 커지고 있습니다.

당국과 경찰은 원인을 규명하고있는데 전국 도로의 싱크홀에 대한 조사와 안전조치가 필요합니다.

Concerns grow over frequent sinkholes in roads
도로에 빈발하는 싱크홀로 우려증대

By Kim Hyun-bin 김현빈 기자
Posted : 2024-08-30 15:27 Updated : 2024-08-30 15:31
Korea Times

A car is trapped in a 2.5-meter-deep sinkhole on a road in Seoul, Thursday. This accident seriously injured an elderly couple. Yonhap 서울의 한 도로에서 승용차 한 대가 깊이 2.5m의 싱크홀에 갇혔다. 이 사고로 노부부가 크게 다쳤다. 연합

Drivers and road management authorities in Seoul are increasingly alarmed as a sinkhole swallowed a car on Thursday and a subsidence of a road was detected nearby one day later.
지난 목요일 싱크홀이 승용차를 삼킨 데 이어 하루 뒤 인근에서 도로 침하가 감지되면서 서울시내 운전자들과 도로관리 당국의 경각심이 커지고 있다.

The recurrence of such incidents has sparked fears about the safety of the city's roads and the potential for more severe accidents at any time and place.
이러한 사건의 재발은 도시 도로의 안전과 언제 어디서나 더 심각한 사고의 가능성에 대한 우려를 불러일으켰다.

On Friday, the road management authorities of the Seoul Metropolitan Government said its officials found a slight sinkage in a road in Yeonhui-dong in western Seoul's Seodaemun District at around 8:40 a.m.
28일 서울시 도로관리당국은 이날 오전 8시40분쯤 서울 서대문구 연희동의 한 도로에서 관계자들이 약간의 침하를 발견했다고 밝혔다.

The subsidence was located only about 100 meters from the site where a 6-meter-wide, 4-meter-long and 2.5-meter-deep sinkhole swallowed a vehicle the day before. The accident resulted in serious injuries to the driver, an 82-year-old man, and his 79-year-old wife. While the driver suffered broken ribs, his wife was found in cardiac arrest but saved through CPR, although she still remains unconscious in intensive care.
침하 지점은 전날 가로 6m, 세로 4m, 깊이 2.5m의 싱크홀이 차량을 삼킨 지점에서 불과 100여m 떨어진 곳이다. 이 사고로 운전자 A씨(82)와 아내(79)가 크게 다쳤다. 운전자가 갈비뼈가 부러지는 부상을 입은 가운데 아내는 심정지 상태로 발견됐지만 여전히 의식이 없는 상태로 중환자실에서 심폐소생술을 통해 목숨을 건졌다.


After the problem in the road was found on Friday, the authorities and police restricted traffic in the area and initiated an investigation to determine the cause. They said it is still unclear whether the two road problems are related and from the same cause.
금요일 도로에 문제가 발견되자 당국과 경찰은 해당 지역의 통행을 제한하고 원인 규명을 위한 조사에 착수했다. 이들은 두 도로 문제가 관련이 있는지, 같은 원인인지는 아직 불분명하다고 밝혔다.

The authorities and experts are coming up with various potential causes, such as aging drain pipes underground, construction to install a rainwater drainage pipeline that is taking place about 170 meters from the accident site, and soil erosion caused by heavy rainfall.
당국과 전문가들은 지하 배수관 노후화, 사고 지점에서 약 170m 떨어진 곳에서 진행 중인 빗물 배수관 설치 공사, 폭우로 인한 토사 침식 등 다양한 잠재적 원인을 내놓고 있다.

The city said it is searching for underground holes regularly and in its May investigation, no holes were found in the area around the sinkhole.
시는 정기적으로 지하 구멍을 찾고 있으며 지난 5월 조사에서 싱크홀 주변에서 구멍이 발견되지 않았다고 밝혔다.
 

A section of a road in western Seoul's Yeonhui-dong is closed as the authorities investigate a subsidence of the road there, Friday. Yonhap 서울 서부 연희동의 한 도로 구간이 금요일 당국이 도로 침하를 조사하면서 폐쇄됐다. 연합

There were also concerns that the sinkhole could have led to a major disaster as a gas pipeline and water supply pipes run directly below the affected area. However, no gas pipe damage or leaks were reported.
가스관과 상수도관이 피해 지역 바로 아래로 이어져 싱크홀이 대형 참사로 이어질 수 있다는 우려도 제기됐다. 다만 가스관 파손이나 누수 등은 보고되지 않았다.

“We are taking this matter very seriously,” a city goverment official said. “Ensuring the safety of our roads and preventing future accidents is our top priority.”
시 관계자는 "우리는 이 문제를 매우 심각하게 받아들이고 있다"며 "우리 도로의 안전을 보장하고 향후 사고를 예방하는 것이 최우선 과제"라고 말했다.

This series of accidents has led to growing public anxiety, particularly in neighborhoods where construction projects are underway. Residents are demanding more thorough inspections and stronger safeguards to prevent another potentially life-threatening event.
이 일련의 사고는 특히 건설 프로젝트가 진행 중인 지역에서 대중의 불안을 증가시켰다. 주민들은 생명을 위협할 수도 있는 또 다른 사건을 막기 위해 더 철저한 검사와 더 강력한 안전 조치를 요구하고 있다.

“The sinkhole will become a serious issue if more are detected. It already occurred in Jamsil and now in Yeonhui-dong. There's no guarantee it won't happen in my neighborhood,” a woman in her 40s, identified with the surname Chung, said.
40대여성 정모씨는 "더 적발되면 싱크홀이 심각해질 것"이라며 "이미 잠실에서 발생했고 지금은 연희동에서도 발생했다며 우리 동네에서는 이런 일이 일어나지 않을 것이라는 보장이 없다."고 말했다.

According to data from the land ministry released by Rep. Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party of Korea, a total of 957 sinkholes were reported nationwide between 2019 and 2023.
황희 더불어민주당 의원이 공개한 국토부 자료에 따르면 2019~2023년 전국적으로 총 957건의 싱크홀이 발생했다.

#Sinkhole싱크홀 #Roadsubsidence도로침하 #Roadsafety도로안전 #Construction건설 #Gaspipeline가스관 #Watersupplypipes상수도관 #Trafficrestriction통행제한#Investigation조사 #Publicanxiety대중의불안 #Accidentprevention사고예방