A truck pulled out from a sinkhole is seen at the scene without its driver’s cabin, in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo on Friday. Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA-EFE
The Japanese sinkhole near Tokyo continued to grow on Friday as emergency crews continued their plan to install a temporary ramp 50 feet down to the floor to rescue a dump truck driver trapped for days.
Authorities prepared to carefully install the ramp in a way that would not encourage further erosion of the sinkhole, allowing heavy equipment to be driven down and used to clear debris in Yashio in the Saitama Prefecture. Advertisement
The sinkhole, which opened on Tuesday at a street intersection in Yashio, has grown to 130 feet wide. Plans are to install a roughly 100-foot-long ramp from a nearby parking lot into the sinkhole to start moving equipment inside.
Rainwater from a newly cracked underground pipe is believed to be leaking water inside the sinkhole, loosening its dirt walls, which is contributing to the further erosion of the site, officials said.
Wastewater from a busted sewage pipe, which has been blamed for the sinkhole, has already been diverted to another location, Firefighters said sandbags are being brought in to stop the new leak.
Officials said they have lost sight of the dump truck’s cabin that was initially swallowed by the sinkhole earlier in the week. They have also lost contact with the 74-year-old driver of the dump truck who has been trapped inside the vehicle. Advertisement
