A sinkhole that suddenly opened up on a road just northeast of Tokyo and swallowed a truck has captured national attention as the rescue operation of the driver has dragged on for days

A sinkhole near Tokyo that swallowed a dump truck hole on Tuesday has now doubled in wide after combining with a second sinkhole as rescue workers continued their dig to reach the vehicle's driver.

Emergency workers in Japan began building a ramp Friday to try and reach a 74-year-old truck driver who has not been heard from since his vehicle was swallowed by a sinkhole this week. The cavity has expanded to 40 meters (130 feet) across,