Search called off for missing driver in Saitama sinkhole

Authorities in Saitama Prefecture called off their search Sunday for a missing 74-year-old man whose truck was engulfed by a sinkhole in the city of Yashio last month, according to media reports.

Firefighters resumed search operations with heavy machinery Sunday morning after a several-day suspension due to water leaking into the hole. While water levels had decreased by Sunday morning, water began flowing back into the hole shortly after, forcing authorities to halt operations after about 30 minutes, NHK and NTV reported.

During Sunday’s search, no clues about the missing driver were found in the hole. Authorities have decided to stop the search due to safety concerns for rescuers as further collapses of the sinkhole are possible. Firefighters are now considering alternative search methods, including entering the sewer pipes through manholes, NHK reported.

The accident occurred on the morning of Jan. 28, when a section of the road at an intersection in Yashio caved in, causing a passing truck to plunge into the hole. While a piece believed to be part of the driver’s seat of the fallen truck was discovered last week inside a sewer pipe about 100 to 200 meters downstream from the site, the whereabouts of the driver remain unknown.