Rescuers Struggling to Save Man from Road Collapse near Tokyo

   Yashio, Saitama Pref., Jan. 29 (Jiji Press)--Rescuers were struggling Wednesday afternoon to save a male truck driver trapped inside a hole that appeared due to a road collapse in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Tuesday.
   The rescue work did not progress much owing to the growing scale of damage. A new cave-in occurred near the site of the collapse during work from the small hours of Wednesday to lift the trapped truck that carried the 74-year-old driver. The two holes are believed to be connected underground.
   According to local firefighters and others, the first hole emerged on a prefectural road in the city of Yashio around 9:50 a.m. Tuesday, apparently because of a break in a major underground sewer pipe. No problem was found when the prefectural government inspected the pipe between January and February 2022.
   The cab of the truck, where the driver is believed to be, is still buried.
   The Yashio city government issued an evacuation order to nearby residents because gas pipes run through the sites of the collapses. The Saitama government asked 1.2 million residents in 12 municipalities including Yashio to refrain from using sewage systems.

(2025/01/29-19:38)

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