Search for Truck Driver Suspended after 30 Minutes at Saitama Sinkhole; Risks of Further Cave-ins too Great

The Yomiuri Shimbun

18:33 JST, February 9, 2025

The fire department on Sunday morning resumed searching for a male driver in his 70s who has been missing since his truck fell into a cave-in that occurred on a prefectural road in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, last month, but terminated the search after about 30 minutes.

The fire department is likely considering searching inside a sewer piper where the driver’s seat was found.

According to the fire department, the search began at around 7:30 a.m and about 20 firefighters participated in the search operation, using heavy machinery to scoop out debris and sediment.

However, the search was called off after about 30 minutes because no clues were found as to the whereabout of the driver and because expanding the search area could have led to further cave-ins.

The truck fell into the hole around 9:50 a.m. on Jan. 28. The driver has been unreachable since he spoke with firefighters around 1 p.m. on the day.