Japanese authorities have asked hundreds of residents near Tokyo to evacuate as a sinkhole at an intersection grew to more than 40 meters wide, hampering rescuers racing to reach an elderly truck driver whose vehicle was swallowed by the hole.

TOKYO - Five households in the immediate vicinity of a massive, ever-widening sinkhole near Tokyo were urged to evacuate on Feb 2, with efforts to rescue a man stuck inside reportedly halted. A 74-year-old truck driver was swallowed on Jan 28 by the cavity which has since expanded to 40m across – almost the length of an Olympic swimming pool.

Another sinkhole has since opened up nearby, and residents within a 650-foot radius had been evacuated, a spokesman said.