FUKUOKA – A large sinkhole opened on a road in front of Hakata Station in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, at about 5:15 a.m. Tuesday.
The hole gradually became bigger. It measures up to about 15 meters deep, about 27 meters wide and about 30 meters long.
According to the Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau, construction work to extend the Nanakuma Line of the city’s subway system was under way about 25 meters below the site.
As water outflow and other phenomena were seen shortly before the occurrence of the sinkhole, construction workers had evacuated from the site. No one was injured.
Due to the accident in the business district, about 350 meters of the east-west road, managed by the city, was closed to all traffic.
Water and power outages occurred in some nearby areas.
