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A truck cabin that was swallowed by a sinkhole in Japan two weeks ago has been located in a nearby sewer pipe, authorities say.
Drone images suggest that a human body is inside the cabin, but it is unclear if it is that of the truck’s missing 74-year-old driver.
Japanese authorities have asked hundreds of residents near Tokyo to evacuate as the sinkhole has grown to more than 40 meters wide – four times its width when it first appeared – thereby hampering rescuers’ efforts.
About a fortnight ago, part of a road intersection about 30kms north of Japan’s capital opened up, swallowing a three-ton truck and its driver, a 74-year-old man, prompting a rescue mission.
Local authorities have also asked residents to cut down on bathing and doing laundry in a bid to cut down on wastewater, which could further complicate rescue efforts in the fragile area.
Takashi Oguchi, a geographer from the University of Tokyo, said sinkholes are rare in Japan, but he warned that when a large underground waterpipe ruptures, leaked water could create a sinkhole.
Much of Japan’s public infrastructure was built between the 1960s and 1970s during an economic boom in the wake of World War II.
The sewage system in question is about 42 years old.
“We will have such events more in the future because the decay of underground pipes is ongoing little by little, and many pipes are located below roads,” Oguchi said.
The mission to rescue the truck driver has proven difficult so far, an official from Sewerage Works Division told CNN.
“The driver was buried in sand, and if we bring heavy equipment near the asphalt it might fall in,” he said.
He said rescue workers are planning to build a ramp to bring the heavy equipment from an angle.
Rescuers have used cranes to lift part of the truck out of the hole and have sent drones underground but have not been able to communicate with the truck driver since the incident occurred. – CNN
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