A 74-year-old truck driver remains trapped in a sinkhole that opened earlier this week in Yashio, Japan.

The sinkhole opened just before 10 a.m. local time Tuesday, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, right before the truck driver drove over the area of the hole. The driver lost contact with rescuers on the surface at around 1 p.m.

The cargo bed of the truck was recovered Wednesday, but the driver and the truck’s cab remain underground, according to the Japan Times. Officials have not publicly identified the driver beyond his age.

The hole was about 32.8 feet wide and around 16.4 feet deep when it first opened. Officials attributed the opening of the sinkhole to a sewage water leak from a ruptured pipe, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Another hole has opened up since Tuesday, and both sinkholes were connected after soil separating them collapsed Thursday. The resulting combined sinkhole is about 65.6 feet in diameter.

Rescuers are taking multiple tacks to try and clear out the hole in the hopes of finding the driver. Sewage water is being treated with chlorine and pumped into the Niigata River, according to Yomiuri Shimbun.

Firefighters have also started making a ramp roughly 13 feet long by 98 feet wide that will allow the use of heavy machinery to try and clear more debris away from the scene, according to NHK.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.