Rescuers in Japan struggle to save truck driver trapped in sinkhole for three days

Emergency workers in Japan are struggling to rescue a truck driver who has spent three days stuck in a massive sinkhole in a city just north of Tokyo.

The 74-year-old man, who has not been identified, and his truck were swallowed by the sinkhole when it opened up in a road in Yashio city, in Saitama prefecture, on Tuesday.

The sinkhole — which is believed to have been caused by corroded sewage pipes — was originally about 10 metres wide and 5 metres deep, but it has since grown to at least twice that size.

The driver spoke to rescue workers shortly after becoming trapped but has not been heard from since Tuesday afternoon, said fire department official Yoshifumi Hashiguchi.

The unsteady ground, with a hollow space below it, is hampering the rescue effort. Authorities tried to lift the truck with cranes, but they could only recover the loading platform, leaving behind the cabin where the driver is believed to be trapped.

Rescue workers also tried to remove sediment to dig out the driver and flew a drone into the sinkhole to see if it was possible to climb down, but neither option was viable.

“It is an extremely dangerous condition,” fire chief Tetsuji Sato said on Thursday.

Emergency workers had hoped to finish building a 30-metre ramp on Friday that would allow them to reach the driver, but a local official said it could take many days to finish.

About 20 residents within a 200-metre radius of the sinkhole have taken shelter at a local junior high school, while at least one million residents in the region have been asked to cut back on laundry and bathing to prevent water from overflowing into the sinkhole.

“It’s difficult not to use the toilet, but we are asking people to do their best to use less water,” said an official for the prefecture, who was not named.

Japan’s Ministry for Land, Infrastructure and Transport has ordered a nationwide inspection of sewer systems. In one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, the sinkhole in Yashio has raised worries about ageing sewage pipeline infrastructure.