A gigantic steel pipe with a diameter of about 3.5 meters was found shooting from a street in central Osaka's bustling Umeda area on March 11.

Osaka city officials said the 27-meter-long pipe was protruding about 13 meters at one point.

No injuries have been reported.

Workers injected water into the pipe, letting it sink back into the ground using the weight of the water, but about 1.6 meters remain above the ground.

The city's construction bureau said it plans to cut off the protruding part as it is difficult to lower the pipe any further.

According to Osaka city's construction bureau, the pipe had been buried underground for sewage pipe construction.

Due to the possibility that the ground has loosened, officials said further work on March 12 would be difficult.

S/ Osaka city construction bureau official / We are currently proceeding with work at the site cautiously while conducting safety checks, so traffic restrictions remain in place.

Sections of Shin-Midosuji, a major highway running north-south through central Osaka, have been closed since March 11, causing traffic congestion.

Officials are urging drivers to use detour routes as the road closure is expected to continue for several days.

Shin-Midosuji connects Umeda with places like Shin-Osaka Station where the Shinkansen bullet train stops.