A 1,800kg truck plummeted into a sinkhole in Japan's Saitama prefecture on Jan 28, 2025. The driver has been stuck underground since then. - Photo: AFP
YASHIO, (Japan): Efforts to rescue a 74-year-old truck driver after his vehicle plunged into a sinkhole that opened up near Tokyo on Tuesday (Jan 28) has been suspended again, according to Japanese media.
The authorities said on Thursday (Jan 30) that additional cave-ins at the sinkhole in Saitama prefecture have made the area dangerously unstable.
The first collapse happened at 9.50am local time in the city of Yashio and created a chasm about 5m wide and 10m deep, according to The Japan Times.
The 1,800kg vehicle plummeted into the sinkhole and the driver has been stuck inside since then.
Efforts to free the driver using a crane began on Jan 28 but was halted when a nearby section of the road caved in in the wee hours of Jan 29.
While the authorities managed to remove the truck’s cargo bed on Jan 29, the driver remained underground.
According to NHK, rescuers heard the driver responding to them at 1pm local time on Jan 28 but they have since lost contact.
The city of Yashio has also issued evacuation orders for 200 households as fear of a gas pipeline leak mounts.
Authorities on Jan 29 evening removed collapsible parts near the sinkholes with excavators, The Asahi Shimbun reported.
But the situation worsened as a road section between two sinkholes crumbled, causing them to form a large combined sinkhole.
The sinkhole is believed to have been caused by a burst sewer pipe running beneath the road.
About 1.2 million people in 12 cities and towns in the eastern part of the Saitama prefecture were asked to ease pressure on the sewage system by limiting their use of water in bathing and doing laundry. - The Straits Times/ANN
