Body recovered 3 months after sinkhole accident in Japan
Authorities in Japan have recovered the body of a man believed to be the 74-year-old truck driver who was swallowed by a massive sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture nearly three months ago.
The sinkhole opened suddenly at around 10am on 28 January, during morning rush hour, on a road just outside Tokyo.
Source: The Mainichi
The driver was behind the wheel of his lorry when the ground gave way beneath him.
Efforts abandoned after 2nd sinkhole forms
While emergency crews were able to retrieve the cargo section of the vehicle, they were forced to abandon efforts to recover the cabin after a second sinkhole formed, significantly increasing the risk of further collapse.
The chasm continued to grow over the following days, eventually reaching about 40m in diameter and 15m deep.
By 9 February, the truck cabin had been swept roughly 30 metres downstream through a damaged sewer pipe, and the search was suspended due to ongoing instability at the site.
Body recovered after months of stabilisation work
On 24 April, authorities completed bypass works to divert a large volume of sewage water away from the affected area, clearing the way for recovery operations to resume.
To support the effort, around 1.2 million residents were asked to reduce water usage — such as limiting showers and laundry — to prevent further sewage leakage from complicating the process.
Source: Kyodo News
A sloped access route was then constructed from the surface of the sinkhole into the sewer pipe where the truck cabin had been swept.
During their entry, firefighters located the man inside the cabin and confirmed his death.
The body was handed over to police for formal identification and further investigation.
Source: The Japan Times
Meanwhile, work is under way on a vertical shaft to extract the truck cabin using heavy machinery, after which authorities plan to begin restoring the damaged infrastructure.
Also read: Truck falls into massive sinkhole in Japan, driver still stuck over 24 hours later
Truck falls into massive sinkhole in Japan, driver still stuck over 24 hours later
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Kyodo News and The Japan Times.Â
