Jan. 28 (UPI) — Japanese emergency crews worked through Tuesday to free a man driving a dump truck that fell through a large sinkhole that opened up at an intersection in Yashio, near Tokyo.
Authorities in Saitama Prefecture received a call at about 9:50 a.m., local time, about the large sinkhole opening on a street about 32 feet wide and 20 feet deep.
Witnesses told police that the sinkhole collapsed just before the dump truck disappeared.
Officials said the front end of the dump truck appeared to have lodged in the dirt at the bottom of the sinkhole, making it difficult for rescuers to free the driver.
Authorities said the driver was conscious and responding to rescue workers as they continued to free him.
Two rescuers were injured as sediment fell on them as crews attempted to use heavy machinery to free the truck driver.
Government officials said they believe the sinkhole was created by a damaged sewage pipe that allowed sediment to flow into it, creating the cavity underground until the surface collapsed. They said the pipe damage was caused by sewer gas, which was created by the breakdown of waste material.
In their latest effort to free the driver, firefighters brought in a crane and rope to free the dump truck from above since the walls of the sinkhole remained fragile and in danger of collapsing further.