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Inside of Sewage Pipe at Saitama Cave-In Site Checked after 3 Months

Inside of Sewage Pipe at Saitama Cave-In Site Checked after 3 Months

Police officers and firefighters prepare to enter the sewage pipe Thursday morning at the site of a road collapse in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, in late January.
Police officers and firefighters prepare to enter the sewage pipe Thursday morning at the site of a road collapse in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, in late January.

   Saitama, May 1 (Jiji Press)--Police and other authorities on Thursday entered and checked the inside of the sewage pipe at the site of a road collapse in late January in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, for the first time.
   If safety is confirmed, authorities will begin efforts as early as Friday to find the 74-year-old driver of a truck that fell into the sinkhole at the site.
   At around 4:40 a.m. Thursday, a bus carrying a total of some 20 police officers, firefighters and others arrived at the site, which was filled with the smell of sulfur. Wearing double protective suits with oxygen cylinders and masks, they headed for the pipe about 10 meters below the surface.
   According to prefectural government and other officials, the inspection was conducted early in the morning because of a relatively small amount of sewage. Three teams were mobilized for the inspection, and two of them worked for about 20 minutes each.
   In the accident, which occurred at around 9:50 a.m. on Jan. 28, the central part of an intersection collapsed and the passing truck plunged into the sinkhole. The truck's bed has been recovered, but the cab remains inside the pipe.

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AFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL


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