The driver of the truck could communicate with rescue teams when his truck was first swallowed, but there are fears for his safety as sediment fills the hole.

Alton workers are repairing a new sinkhole on Pearl Street, smaller than the previous one in Gordon Moore Park.

He said the original hole that brought down the driver had merged with a second sinkhole nearby, resulting in the expansion of the sinkhole. The driver was “buried in earth and sand, and if we ...