A bizarre sight recently unfolded in downtown Osaka, Japan: a massive sewer pipe, originally buried deep underground, seemingly "erupted" from the earth due to ongoing construction work. The pipe shot up over ten meters high, forcing an emergency closure of a section of the road. Photos of the incident have left countless netizens baffled, with many quipping, "This shouldn't be happening, right?!" The incident quickly went viral across Japanese social media.
According to Japanese media reports, the scale of this pipe is truly astonishing: it's approximately 30 meters long, 5 meters in diameter, and protrudes more than ten meters above ground. Authorities are currently investigating the exact cause of the pipe's sudden ascent.
After photos of the incident hit social media platforms, many users admitted they had no idea what they were looking at initially.
One netizen shared their experience: "I stared at the photo for a minute and still couldn't figure out what was wrong. I reread the description and looked for another two minutes, still thinking, 'Where is it?' Then I realized '30 meters long' wasn't 30 centimeters, and what looked like a highway bridge pillar in the photo was actually that pipe."
Another user posted a before-and-after comparison, making it even clearer how this ten-meter-plus pipe suddenly "emerged" from beneath a bridge pier.
Following the incident, countless netizens took to the internet to express their disbelief, calling the scene "too surreal." Some exclaimed, "Wait, this kind of thing shouldn't normally happen, right?!" Others joked, "Isn't that a pipe from 'Super Mario'?" One even commented, "It looks so much like a bridge pillar; I never would've guessed it was a pipe."
Regarding possible causes, some engineering professionals have offered theories online. If soil is considered an environment close to a liquid, underground tunnels or hollow structures can be affected by buoyancy and float upwards. While soil doesn't allow objects to float as easily as liquid, these large structures typically rely on soil friction for stability. Once they start moving, friction decreases, making it possible for the entire structure to be "pulled out" upwards.
After the incident, some curious onlookers visited the site and took photos, noting that the pipe's height seemed to be gradually decreasing. It's speculated that the pipe might be sinking back underground, possibly through water injection or other methods.
While this incident led to the closure of a section of Shin-Midosuji and caused severe traffic congestion in the surrounding area, thankfully, no injuries were reported. Still, a giant, five-meter-diameter pipe "erupting" from the ground is certainly an unbelievable sight, making it easy to see why netizens compared it to something straight out of "Super Mario."
via： togetter