Saitama, Jan 31 (News On Japan) - A massive sinkhole swallowed a truck in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on January 28, with dramatic footage capturing the moment the road suddenly gave way.
A dashboard camera recorded the moment the truck, having just turned left at an intersection, plunged into the sinkhole. With no time to react, the vehicle disappeared into the gaping hole.
"At first, I thought I had been rear-ended because of the vibration," one witness recalled. "But when I looked ahead, the truck had already fallen."
More than 86 hours after the collapse, authorities are gradually piecing together the situation. According to the fire department, the damaged sewer pipe beneath the road has a diameter of about four to five meters. There is concern that the truck’s driver may have fallen deep into the cavity.
Initially, emergency responders were able to communicate with the driver, who responded to their calls around 1 p.m. that day. However, his cab was already buried under debris, and his condition was unclear. Hours later, there was no further response.
Efforts to recover the truck continue, with tow trucks removing parts of the vehicle from the scene. However, the driver remains unaccounted for. To facilitate rescue operations, workers are rapidly constructing a slope for safe entry into the crater. Although initial plans aimed to complete the structure by January 31, additional work to remove fallen utility poles and reinforce the ground means heavy machinery may only enter by the evening of February 1.
The sinkhole, which initially started as one hole, expanded into two before merging into a single cavity approximately 40 meters in diameter and 15 meters deep due to further collapses. Inside, workers are trying to prevent water from flowing in by piling up soil. However, continuous water seepage has caused repeated cave-ins, creating an unstable environment.
The disaster has severely impacted local residents. To facilitate rescue operations, Saitama Prefecture has asked residents in 12 municipalities, including Yashio, to limit their use of sewer systems, including reducing laundry and bath usage.
In response to the crisis, a nearby hot spring facility in Misato, adjacent to Yashio, has opened its doors to affected residents, offering free access to its baths.
"We’ve been trying to conserve water as much as possible, using paper plates instead of washing dishes," said Numakura, a resident from a six-member household. "But when it came to bathing, we weren’t sure how to save water—then we heard about this facility and decided to come. It was the first time in a while we could take a relaxing bath."
Sugawara and his family, who spent a night in an evacuation center after the incident, expressed similar gratitude. "We had just returned home, but the anxiety hasn’t gone away," he said. "The bus my child takes to daycare passed through that very spot just an hour before the collapse. The support we’re receiving is incredibly helpful."
In light of the incident, municipalities across Japan have begun urgent inspections of aging sewer infrastructure. In Sakai, Osaka, officials have voluntarily started examining sewer pipes with a diameter of over two meters that have been in place for more than 30 years. In Wakayama City, authorities plan to inspect 29 locations within a week.
Meanwhile, in Yashio, snowfall began early Sunday morning, later turning into cold rain. As temperatures drop, the urgency of rescue efforts continues to grow.
Source: TBS
