Workers have removed a giant pipe that emerged from a road in a busy district of central Osaka, western Japan.
The iron pipe, part of an underground sewer construction project, was 3.5 meters in diameter and about 30 meters long. It was found protruding vertically about 13 meters out of the road on March 11.
On the same day, two people in a car were slightly injured when the driver slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the pipe.
The pipe gradually descended after city officials injected water into it, but stopped with about 1.6 meters left still sticking out.
On Tuesday, workers started cutting off a portion of the pipe above the ground. They cut that into four smaller pieces, and removed them from the site with a crane.
City officials said the road will be repaired by placing steel plates over the opening, and covering it with asphalt.
The officials are investigating what caused the pipe to come out of the ground.
AloJapan.com