Oversized sinkhole in Japan is the stuff of nightmares
Now, this is what you'd call a monster sinkhole.
The hole opened in the heart of Fukuoka, a major city in southern Japan, swallowing parts of the main street and cutting off power, water and gas supplies to parts of the city.
It began as 7-to-8-meter smaller holes just 300 meters from the JR Hakata railway station and grew to more than half the size of an Olympic pool (30m), also filled with water from sewage pipes. No one was injured.
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On social media there's even a video of the two smaller sinkholes collapsing:
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Just like in your worst nightmare.
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The cause of the collapse is under investigation, Fukuoka officials said, but they linked it to ongoing subway construction nearby to connect the station to the city center.
Motohisa Oda, a crisis management officer from Fukuoka city, told CNN that the hole may have been triggered by the subterranean construction works.
The incident prompted the evacuation of some residents in nearby buildings. Officials were concerned that further erosion inside the sinkhole could prompt nearby structures to collapse.
"An accident like this is unheard of, one that should not have happened," Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima said.
"We must prevent secondary accidents, and will do our utmost to restore important infrastructure."
Meanwhile, Japanese people are tweeting parodies of the incident:
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The Associated Press contributed reporting.
