Giant pipe rises in Osaka

A giant pipe has emerged about 13 meters above a road in a busy district of central Osaka, western Japan. The city is investigating the cause of the incident, and restoration work is underway. Osaka city officials said an iron pipe measuring 3.5 meters in diameter was discovered protruding from the road shortly before 7a.m. local time on Wednesday.

Thirteen meters of the 30-meter-long pipe had been pushed vertically out of the ground beneath the elevated Shin-Midosuji highway in the city’s Kita Ward. No injuries were reported. Officials said the pipe was part of an underground conduit being prepared to store rainwater.