Body Thought to Be Truck Driver Recovered from Sewer Pipe Near Saitama Pref. Sinkhole; Efforts Underway to Identify Body (Update 1)

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:28 JST, May 2, 2025  (updated at 15:40 JST, May 2)

SAITAMA — A body believed to be that of the driver of a truck that fell into a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, in January was recovered from a nearby sewer pipe Friday morning, according to the Saitama prefectural government.

The Saitama prefectural police are working to identify the body, thought to be that of a 74-year-old man who was driving the truck that plunged into the sinkhole when it formed on a prefectural road on Jan. 28.

Firefighters and others in protective gear and carrying oxygen tanks entered the 4.75-meter-diameter sewer pipe at around 4:20 a.m. Friday. The body was removed from the driver’s cab and transported to the Soka Police Station shortly after 8 a.m.

Although the back of the truck was recovered shortly after the cave-in accident, the driver’s cab fell deeper into the sewer pipe 10 meters underground, with the driver remaining inside. The driver’s cab was confirmed to be about 30 meters downstream from the accident site, but search efforts had been suspended due to soft ground and sewage flowing into the pipe.

The family of the driver released a statement through the prefectural police on Friday, in which they said, “We still cannot believe or accept that our beloved father is no longer with us.”

The prefectural government plans to recover the driver’s cab and begin restoration work at the site. It is expected to take five to seven years to complete the work, which includes doubling the sewer pipes.