A sinkhole near Tokyo that swallowed a dump truck whole on Tuesday has now doubled in width after combining with a second sinkhole as rescue workers continued their dig to reach the vehicle’s driver.
Officials in Yashio in the Saitama Prefecture said the sinkhole has now grown to 65 feet wide as the intersection where the ground first gave way remained blocked from vehicles and people except for emergency crews.
The crew had lost contact with the driver, described as a 74-year-old male, after communicating with him on Tuesday. His cab remained buried under the sinkhole’s debris as workers continued the desperate, but careful, work to dig him out. Fears remained on Thursday that the sinkhole could collapse further.
Local authorities have been in consultation on how to bring in heavier machinery to remove the rubble without further deteriorating the sinkhole. To help mitigate further sinkhole damage, the government started diverting wastewater from a damaged sewer pipe blamed for the collapse into the Niigata River.
People in the surrounding 12 towns were asked by officials to decrease their use of sewage water until rescue efforts were completed. Prefecture officials also recruited the Tokyo Fire Department for help.
Authorities are considering building a ramp from the road which could more easily deploy heavier equipment to remove debris in the sinkhole. UPI
