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.
Emergency services attempt to get the truck out. Pic: Kyodo via AP
Pic: Kyodo via AP
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.
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Meanwhile some on social media have raised concerns over local infrastructure.
It comes after a sinkhole appeared in the city of Hiroshima last September when an underground water pipe burst and the road caved in, meaning several people trapped in buildings had to be rescued.
Similarly, in 2016, a giant sinkhole about 98ft wide and 50ft deep suddenly appeared in the Japanese city of Fukuoka and swallowed five road lanes before it was flooded.
The incident caught the attention of the world as workmen repaired the road within a matter of days.