Police officers standing around a sinkhole that developed in Hiroshima city on Sept 26. - The Japan News/ANN
HIROSHIMA: A large sinkhole emerged in Japan’s Hiroshima city on Thursday (Sept 26).
At around 8.50am local time on Sept 26, the police received an emergency call reporting that a bulge had developed in part of a road in the city’s Nishi ward.
It is believed that an underground water pipe had burst. The local authorities said a section of the road had caved in and several buildings in the area were leaning.
According to Hiroshima newspaper Chugoku Shimbun, part of the asphalt near the site had lifted and water started overflowing from under the road.
The police and firefighters urged residents to evacuate, warning them of a possible collapse.
There were a number of people who were trapped in buildings, but the city’s fire department said all of them were rescued.
Reports also emerged of municipal housing leaning, cracks forming in a number of buildings and tap water in surrounding areas turning yellow and murky. - The Japan News/ANN
