Police and first responders in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture struggled on Thursday to rescue a truck driver who became trapped in a gigantic sinkhole three days ago.
The 74-year-old driver, whose name has not been released to the public, was stopped at an intersection in the city of Yashio, north of Tokyo, on Tuesday morning when a sinkhole measuring over 30 feet wide and 15 feet deep opened beneath his truck. The vehicle fell into the hole, trapping the driver inside.
Local officials said the sinkhole appears to have been created by a ruptured pipe that leaked sewage water underneath the road. A second sinkhole soon appeared nearby, then merged with the first, making the driver’s plight even more perilous.
Fear of further road collapses greatly hindered rescue efforts, as did the huge amounts of mud seeping around the trapped vehicle. Emergency crews were able to pull the…
