A massive sinkhole created commuter chaos in downtown Fukuoka in southwestern Japan Monday, when the entire width of a major 5-lane road caved in on itself.
“The power was out all of a sudden and I heard a loud boom. I went outside and saw a huge hole,” said a witness, speaking to the Japanese daily The Mainichi.
The sinkhole collapsed at around 5 a.m. local time, leaving a hole about 65-feet deep and waking up nearby residents as it swallowed traffic lights and chunks of road, exposing the support columns of nearby buildings.
Subway systems were disrupted and blackouts affected about 800 households. Meanwhile, much of the surrounding area was evacuated by authorities due to worries over further sinkholes and potential gas explosions. Fukuoka airport also suffered a brief blackout.
The city’s Mayor Soichiro Takashima said the sinkhole was “unprecedented,” adding that local government “will speed up its efforts to prevent secondary disasters and repair lifelines.” Officials suspect the incident was linked to construction on a nearby subway line.
- TIME's Top 100 Photos of 2022
- I Tested Positive for COVID-19 Right Before the Holidays. What Should I Do?
- Column: How To Create a Sense of Belonging In a Divided America
- How to Survive the Holidays if You're a Scrooge
- Life Expectancy Provides Evidence of How Far Black Americans Have Come
- The 10 Best Albums of 2022
- Iran Has a Long History of Protest and Activism
- 6 Ways to Give Better Gifts—Based on Science
