Saitama Pref. to Set Aside ¥1 Bil. to Search for Truck Driver in Yashio Sinkhole; Driver’s Condition Remains Unknown

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:09 JST, February 14, 2025

The Saitama prefectural government plans to set aside about ¥1 billion to cover the costs of a search for the 74-year-old male truck driver whose truck fell in a sinkhole in a prefectural road in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, in late January. The funds will come from an unused portion of this fiscal year’s sewage-related budget.

The condition of the driver remains unknown.

Work has continued at the site of the sinkhole throughout the night since Jan. 28, when the accident occurred. Two ramps have been constructed to allow heavy machinery to enter the hole, and an agricultural canal in danger of collapsing has been removed. About ¥1 billion will be used to pay for these operations.

Separately, the prefectural government has decided to submit a supplementary budget proposal to the prefectural assembly that includes ¥4 billion for immediate restoration work. The money is expected to be used for the construction of a bypass to be used on the sewer pipe where the driver’s seat remains.

Full-scale restoration of the roads and sewers will begin after the search for the driver ends. The total cost of the work is still unknown, but prefectural officials estimate it will reach tens of billions of yen.