A giant steel pipe shot out of a highway in Japan, rising as high as 13 metres above ground, according to local authorities.
Osaka City said a passer-by spotted the pipe sticking out of the ground on Wednesday morning (11 March) and reported it to police. The pipe, 27 metres long and 3.5 metres in diameter, has been pushed down to 1.6 metres as of Thursday.
The pipe, which was designed to prevent excavated soil from collapsing, prompted road closures near Osaka-Umeda train station in Osaka city centre. It is not clear what caused the incident, as authorities continue to investigate.
No injuries were reported, the Osaka City Construction Bureau said in a statement, while local media reports the remaining protruding pipe will be cut off.
