Based on reports, rescuers in Yashio city, near Tokyo, are racing to save a truck driver trapped for more than 24 hours after a sinkhole swallowed his vehicle on Tuesday morning (28 January).
The massive sinkhole, roughly the width of two cars, opened up suddenly, causing the truck to plunge in. Emergency crews arrived quickly, and the driver was able to communicate with them until early Tuesday afternoon.
However, the situation became too dangerous, forcing rescuers to pause operations as the ground around the hole became unstable.
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While Japanese authorities were lifting the truck out of the sinkhole in Saitama, a second hole opened up, knocking down a light pole and a restaurant signboard.
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ZetaTalk Sinkhole - Search / pic.twitter.com/nUBqKGps1Y
"Rescue operations have continued around the clock, but we haven't been able to contact the driver", a fire department spokesman told news outlets earlier today. The driver, believed to be in his 70s, has not been heard since.
The crisis deepened when a second sinkhole appeared just a few meters away, even larger than the first. Authorities have since evacuated residents within a 200-meter radius over concerns that underground gas pipes could rupture.
By 1am Wednesday, crews managed to pull the main body of the truck from the first sinkhole. However, the drivers cabin remains trapped in the hole, which is estimated to be 10 meters wide and 6 meters deep.
