Missing truck cabin located in pipe near sinkhole

A truck cabin that was swallowed by a sinkhole in Japan two weeks ago has been located in a nearby sewer pipe, authorities say.

Drone images suggest that a human body is inside the cabin, but it is unclear if it is that of the truck’s missing 74-year-old driver.

The sinkhole, which now measures 40m (131ft) in diameter, opened at a road intersection in Yashio city near Tokyo. It is believed to be caused by a sewer rupture.

Search teams are unable to enter the 5m-wide pipe due to continuous water flow and high levels of hydrogen sulfide or sewer gas, Saitama Governor Motohiro Ono said.

They will need to install a temporary bypass pipe to stop the water flow and access the truck. That process could take three months, Ono said.

While rescuers were able to pull the truck’s loading platform from the sinkhole, they were unable to reach the cabin which had the driver.

The driver was able to communicate with rescuers shortly after he fell into the sinkhole on 28 January, but contact was lost as the truck was buried deeper in soil and debris.

On Sunday, authorities moved their search from the sinkhole to the nearby sewer pipe, where part of a driver’s seat was found.

The sinkhole initially measured 10m wide and 5m deep, but it has since quadrupled in size after it merged with another sinkhole nearby.

As the crater continues to erode, authorities have asked nearby residents to evacuate their homes, fearing further cave-ins.

Officials have also asked 1.2 million residents in Saitama prefecture to reduce their water usage, including cutting back on showers and laundry, to limit the water flowing in the underground pipes.

The water flow and further road collapses have hampered the search operation, which was suspended more than once out of safety concerns.

Sinkholes are increasingly common in Japanese cities, as many have ageing sewage pipeline infrastructure.

Officials say that it could take two or three years to repair the sewer rupture.