Rescue efforts for a 74-year-old driver left in a sinkhole that appeared on January 28 continued on February 4, a week after officials received the report of a 2-ton-truck falling into the hole in Saitama Prefecture.

The back of the truck was pulled up on January 29th without the part that has the driver's seat.

The retrieval process has been difficult because sewage is believed to be rising inside the hole.

Officials have been building a second ramp avoiding the sewage.

The prefectural government urged residents living in 12 cities and towns living around the sinkhole to refrain from using water between 2 and 5 PM on February 4 to reduce the amount of water in the hole that is blocking rescue efforts.

Officials plan to inspect the inside of the sinkhole with an underwater drone.