Yashio Road Collapse Why Rescue Efforts Were Prolonged and Initial Decisions Questioned
Violent and Serious Incidents in 2025
At first, the hole was about 5 meters in diameter
From the many incidents reported by FRIDAY Digital in 2025, we bring you a carefully selected feature in the [2025 Heinous & Major Incidents Wide Report] series. This time, we focus on the Yashio Road Collapse Accident, in which a sudden road cave-in turned into an unexpectedly large-scale disaster.
At around 9:50 a.m. on January 28, at the Chuo 1-chome intersection in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture, the road suddenly collapsed into a hole approximately 5 meters in diameter and about 10 meters deep. A truck driven by one man fell into the hole. Firefighters immediately began rescue operations. As time passed, the hole continued to expand, eventually reaching a diameter of about 40 meters.
The sewer system that caused the collapse carries wastewater from 12 municipalities, serving approximately 1.2 million people. Even after authorities called for restraint in sewage use, it was difficult to reduce the flow volume. Combined with the generation of hydrogen sulfide gas, rescue efforts faced major difficulties. The body of the male driver was finally recovered on May 2.
In an article published by FRIDAY Digital on March 9, multiple firefighting officials pointed out that, regarding the question of whether the rescue could have been carried out earlier, “The judgment was difficult, but there were other possible methods, and it was a failure on the part of the fire department.” First, let us look back at the initial rescue efforts based on the article from that time (text in 《 》 quotes from the previous article).
Was the rescue response appropriate?
《The 119 emergency call reporting that the road collapsed and a truck fell in was received by the Soka–Yashio Fire Department, which has jurisdiction over the scene, at 9:49 a.m. on January 28. Fire crews were immediately dispatched and began rescue operations. According to the fire department, from the time they arrived until around 1:00 p.m. several hours later, the driver in the cab was responding when called out to.
The initial rescue method involved about two firefighters, secured with lifelines, descending into the hole and manually digging around the cab area with shovels. However, the interior of the collapse site suffered further cave-ins, and firefighters were caught in the collapse. Two firefighters were injured, one of whom was hospitalized.
After this, the fire department changed its strategy to lifting the truck with a crane. A private-sector crane was requested, and an attempt was made to lift the vehicle. However, the first lifting attempt, carried out around 8:30 p.m., failed when the wire snapped. The number of crane vehicles was then increased, and a second lifting attempt began around 10:00 p.m., finally succeeding around 1:00 a.m. after midnight.
What was lifted, however, was only the cargo bed portion of the truck. Possibly unable to withstand the weight of the soil, the cab section where the driver was located had been torn off. Immediately afterward, another major collapse occurred, swallowing utility poles and large shop signboards into the ground. This is thought to have happened because, once the cargo bed was removed from underground, the soil that had been temporarily held back collapsed. As a result of this collapse, rescue operations were suspended. After that, firefighters were no longer even able to determine where the cab was located.》
In the FRIDAY Digital article at the time, a firefighter belonging to a different fire department within Saitama Prefecture—not Yashio—raised questions about the initial rescue response. In summary, the comments were as follows:
“Because the area around the hole was collapsing and the truck was being increasingly buried by soil, this constituted a landslide disaster. If a method had been adopted in which retaining walls were installed to prevent further collapse while carrying out the rescue, it might have been possible to secure the safety of firefighters and rescue the man.”
“The Soka–Yashio Fire Department does not have the necessary equipment or skills for that kind of operation, so the upper management should have made the decision at an earlier stage to request assistance from other fire departments in Saitama Prefecture or from Tokyo.”
When asked about this view, the Soka–Yashio Fire Department responded: “We are currently in the process of verifying the situation by conducting interviews with staff members, among other measures. At this stage, we must refrain from commenting.”
This was an unprecedented and highly unusual disaster site, and it is impossible to know what the correct response should have been. However, the fact that it took as long as three months to recover the victim is indisputable.
A disaster that continues to trouble residents
On December 19, the Soka–Yashio Fire Association’s Committee on the Road Collapse Rescue Incident, which is reviewing the rescue operations, released an interim report. Regarding the rescue method for the male driver, the report pointed out that “the use of retaining wall construction involves danger and requires considerable time.” It concluded that “under the circumstances at the time, rescue using a crane truck was the only viable option,” and judged the on-site decision-making to have been appropriate. The final report is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2026.
Restoration work is still ongoing at the collapse site. Because surrounding roads remain closed, traffic congestion continues, and many businesses have been unable to resume operations. In addition, residents are suffering from foul odors caused by hydrogen sulfide. Although the concentration is said to be too low to cause direct health damage, many residents complain of stress.
There have also been reports of metal items in daily use—such as door handles and bathroom faucets—turning black. This phenomenon is also attributed to hydrogen sulfide.
The unpleasant odor is expected to persist until around March 2026, when backfilling at the site is completed. In addition, construction is planned to create a dual sewer pipeline at the site, and it is believed that full completion will take five to seven years. It appears that the day when residents can finally live without worry is still a long way off.
