OSAKA - A massive steel pipe buried underground suddenly protruded from the ground in Osaka’s Umeda district on March 11th, prompting ongoing road closures and emergency response efforts as authorities consider cutting the exposed section.
By the morning after the incident, restoration work had continued through the night until around 5 a.m., but roughly 1.5 meters of the pipe remained sticking above the surface. Traffic restrictions are still in place around the site, preventing vehicles from passing through the area.
According to the Osaka City Construction Bureau, crews worked overnight injecting liquid around the pipe to stabilize the surrounding ground. However, officials say it has proven difficult to push the pipe further back underground, and they are now considering cutting off the portion that remains above the surface.
The location of the incident is immediately east of Hankyu’s Osaka-Umeda Station, a busy commercial district filled with shopping malls and restaurants where large numbers of people pass through daily. Above the affected area runs Shin-Midosuji, a major north–south artery connecting central Osaka with the Hokusetsu region. The road also leads toward Shin-Osaka Station.
At around 6:50 a.m. on March 11th, a man passing by discovered the pipe protruding from the ground and called police, reporting that “concrete was falling.” Police and city officials later confirmed that a steel pipe measuring about 27 meters in length and roughly 3.5 meters in diameter had pushed about 13 meters above the ground. No injuries were reported.
A woman who witnessed the scene said, "I was surprised. I thought, what is this?"
Video filmed by the man who reported the incident captured the dramatic moment as water sprayed forcefully around the pipe with a loud noise.
The man who made the report said, "I was walking to work when I heard a loud booming sound from ahead. I thought maybe it was an accident, but when I looked closer, pieces of concrete were falling from above."
Construction work had been underway at the site as part of a sewer project designed to create facilities to store rainwater and prevent flooding around Osaka Station. Two days earlier, workers had been draining groundwater from the pipe.
According to the Osaka City Construction Bureau, buoyancy may have caused the pipe to rise during the construction work, though the exact cause remains under investigation.
Heavy congestion was reported across the area following the incident. Shin-Midosuji, which runs directly above the site, serves as one of Osaka’s main transportation arteries linking the city center with Shin-Osaka and Senri New Town.
Footage from March 11th showed severe traffic jams on the southbound lanes heading from Shin-Osaka toward central Osaka. One taxi driver said a trip that normally takes about 30 minutes took nearly four hours.
Although traffic heading toward Shin-Osaka appeared somewhat lighter, the entire Umeda area near the entrances to Shin-Midosuji experienced significant congestion. One traveler reported that a taxi ride from Tenma to Shin-Osaka took nearly an hour.
Partial road closures on Shin-Midosuji remain in effect as of the morning of March 12th and are expected to continue throughout the day, raising concerns about further disruptions.
Authorities are advising commuters to use trains whenever possible when traveling through the area.
Source: YOMIURI
