Swimming pool-sized sinkhole swallows truck on busy road, trapping driver
Swimming pool-sized sinkhole swallows truck on busy road, trapping driver
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A truck and its driver have been swallowed by a sinkhole on a busy intersection in Japan, officials say, with a rescue operation under way. The driver was still trapped in the vehicle eight hours after it fell into the crater - approximately 20ft deep and 32ft wide - as it formed in the Japanese city of Yashio.
Officials said the collapse, which happened at about 10am local time on Tuesday, was thought to have been caused by a crack in the Nakagawa River Basin sewer pipe. The man was trapped due to the driver's seat being filled with sand and mud, according to the Nippon TV station, which reported that rescue teams were pumping air into the hole to give the driver oxygen.
Aerial footage from the broadcaster showed at least 12 fire trucks were on the scene in the city, which sits to the north of Japan's capital Tokyo. Japanese media quoted the police as saying the driver was still conscious and capable of talking to officers earlier in the day, but the broadcaster later reported that rescuers could no longer communicate with him.
Police were also quoted as saying an investigation was under way to confirm what caused the sinkhole, which has appeared on a road lined with restaurants and local businesses, less than a mile from the Yashio City Hall. Read more:Inside Congolese city overrun by rebelsCycling team rushed to hospital after being hit by car.
