Five days after the sinkhole swallowed the man and his truck, the rescue operation to get him out of the sinkhole has been discontinued. The reason is that wastewater and rain have caused the hole's walls to collapse, making it dangerous for the rescue team to be there.
Rescue personnel have been working at the 40-meter-wide sinkhole in the Tokyo suburb of Yashio since Tuesday. The truck driver has been stuck 15 meters down in the depths since then.
As time has passed, the hole has expanded and attempts to get the 74-year-old man out have failed. On Saturday, a 30-meter-long ramp was completed, which is to be used to send down equipment into the hole and get the man out.
On Sunday, residents of houses near the growing sinkhole were ordered to evacuate. Other households within a 50-meter radius of the hole are also being urged to do the same.
The sinkhole was initially about five meters in diameter but opened up into a larger cavity during the rescue operation on Tuesday.
About 1.2 million people living in the surrounding area have been urged to shower and wash less to reduce the load on the sewage system, which is leaking and hindering the rescue work.
