Japanese authorities today urged 1.2 million people to cut water use to prevent sewage leaks as they carry out a rescue operation for a man trapped for three days in a sinkhole formed by a collapsed road, AFP reported.
“Our priority is to save this man's life, so we ask citizens to refrain from any non-essential use of water such as bathing or washing clothes,“ a Saitama prefecture official said. "It's hard not to use the toilet, but please use as little water as possible," he added.
In a statement, Saitama prefectural authorities urged people to refrain from "using the sewage system as dirty water may overflow," adding that "it will probably take some time to restore the sewage system."
On Tuesday morning, the center of an intersection suddenly collapsed, creating a 6-meter-deep and 10-meter-wide hole in which a truck and its driver were trapped. Rescue teams have not had contact with the 74-year-old man since Tuesday afternoon.
The rescue operation was significantly delayed by the instability of the ground and the appearance of a second sinkhole nearby. By Wednesday evening, "the two holes had become one and given the risk of another landslide or collapse of the road, we cannot use heavy machinery," a fire department official told AFP.