A colossal underground pipe inexplicably rose more than 10 metres (32 feet) from a construction site in a bustling area of Osaka, Japan, overnight, almost reaching an elevated road without any witnesses.
The steel pipe's sudden ascent was reported to police early Wednesday by a pedestrian who observed pieces of asphalt falling from the cylinder, sparking bewilderment among passers-by and causing significant traffic congestion.
One office worker, speaking to NHK public television, expressed his confusion, stating he "could not understand how it happened." Another man working nearby initially speculated that a new road support might have been erected during the night.
At its peak, the pipe, which measures 3.5 metres (11.5 feet) in diameter, towered as high as 13 metres (42 feet), according to Osaka's construction department.
This unexpected elevation occurred at a sewer construction site where workers were connecting an existing sewer line to a new channel designed to manage excess rainwater and prevent flooding.
Officials explained the pipe served as a retaining structure to prevent surrounding soil from collapsing.
They suggested that draining water from the pipe shortly before the incident may have caused the empty apparatus to float.
By Thursday, firefighters had successfully lowered the pipe back to just a few feet above ground after cutting a hole in its side and injecting water to push it down.
City officials now plan to cut the remaining 1.6 metres of the pipe that are still visible, an operation expected to necessitate a road closure for several more days.
