Home > National > Social Affairs

Woman safe after falling into open manhole in Busan

Published: 16 Jun. 2025, 18:21

CCTV footage shows a woman in her 30s falling into a manhole in Busan on June 14. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A woman in her 30s fell into an open manhole in Busan early Saturday morning, after its lid dislodged due to flooding in the region.

The incident occurred at approximately 2:33 a.m. on a street in Yeonsan-dong, Yeonje District, Busan. Both police and fire authorities arrived at the scene after she fell in.

Heavy rainfall at the time caused water to surge upward, shaking the manhole cover. When a car drove over it, the lid was pushed aside, leaving the manhole exposed.

The woman, walking with an umbrella, did not see the open hole and stepped directly into it.

Although the situation could have led to serious injury or death, nearby pedestrians and a shop owner witnessed the fall and managed to rescue her.

“There was a ladder, and the water had risen all the way up to that point," a store owner who helped rescue her told SBS. "She could only breathe and had no strength left.”

Such accidents have continued to occur during summer downpours, when rainwater backflows and causes manhole covers to open.

In 2022, a woman in her 50s and her younger brother in his 40s drowned after falling into an uncovered manhole during flooding near Gangnam Station in southern Seoul. In 2020, a middle school student fell into an open manhole in Haeundae District, Busan, after heavy rain, but managed to climb out on their own.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]