Drivers in Japan were met with a surreal sight after a massive steel pipe suddenly burst from the ground, forcing road closures and causing huge traffic jams across a major city.
According to Live Door News, the incident happened on March 11 in Osaka’s Kita Ward beneath one of the city’s busiest roads.
The incident was reported at around 6:50 am local time, after a passerby spotted the gigantic pipe sticking out of the road and told police that “concrete is falling.”
Article continues after ad
Officials later confirmed the object was a giant steel pipe used as part of a sewer tunnel construction project. The report states that the pipe measures around 27 meters long and roughly 3.5 meters in diameter, and at one point it surged more than 10 meters above the ground.
Police are investigating giant steel pipe eruption
Despite the dramatic scene, the situation narrowly avoided becoming a disaster as authorities said the pipe stopped short of hitting the elevated roadway above it.
Article continues after ad
Photos of the scene have since gone viral, with one post sharing the before and after shots of what could have been an incredibly dangerous event.
Article continues after ad
Emergency crews have since stabilized the pipe by drilling into it and filling it with water, which has gradually forced it back into the ground.
『下水道工事の影響でパイプが地中からせり上がったか、新御堂筋の一部エリアが通行止め』
ほーん…市街地ど真ん中で大変やな…まぁ道路突き破ってちょい出たくらいなら…
『直 径 5m の パ イ プ が』
『十 数 m 突 き 出 し た』
ファッ⁈⁈
←before now→ https://t.co/28SaIvDWn8 pic.twitter.com/zS20XTzOW7
— Yaniking (@morte1899) March 11, 2026
Police have since closed a 600-meter section of road, and the elevated portion of the route has also been partially shut down.
Officials from Osaka City’s Construction Bureau are now investigating what caused the huge pipe to suddenly rise from underground.