TOKYO – A giant vertical pipe at a sewer construction site in Osaka was pushed up on March 11, protruding more than 10m above the ground, police said.
Osaka prefectural police said they received an emergency call at around 6.50am from a pedestrian reporting that “concrete is falling at a construction site”. About five minutes later, officers confirmed that a pipe of about 5m in diameter was protruding at the site.
The pipe, in an entertainment district near the Hankyu Railway’s Osaka-umeda Station in Kita Ward, emerged from the ground under the Shin-Midosuji elevated road.
Traffic restrictions were imposed in parts of the area, causing congestion.
Fragments of asphalt could be seen scattered around the pipe, with a police officer urging pedestrians to keep moving. KYODO NEWS
AloJapan.com