Giant Japanese sinkhole fixed in 48hrs as city gets back on track (PHOTOS)
A massive sinkhole which swallowed up a five-lane street in Fukuoka, Japan less than a week ago has been fixed in an astonishing two days.
The 30-meter (98ft) gaping hole was created on November 8 when excavation on an underground train tunnel in the center of Fukuoka caused the roadway to suddenly collapse.
Nobody was injured when the sinkhole swallowed up heaps of tarmac and pavement. However, the incident did cause major disruption, for which construction company, the Taisei Corporation, and the city mayor both apologized.
However, after some 48 hours of emergency pipe repair and road resurfacing, the affected area was reportedly reopened to traffic at 5 a.m. Tuesday, report Japan’s NHK.
博多駅前通り道路陥没事故について、福岡市の高島市長が現状報告を公開。「交通を除いて全てのライフラインの復旧完了。最終的な舗装をして、白線を引いて、信号を立てれば通行再開に」→ https://t.co/HP7BxHsNwZpic.twitter.com/nRCDLZXD49
— 福岡のニュース (@TwitFukuoka) November 14, 2016
The lightening-quick road recovery comes after Taisei CEO Tamaki Tanaka promised a swift response earlier this week.
READ MORE: Massive road collapse in Japan causes blackout & disrupts traffic (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)
The 30-meter wide and 15-meter deep hole left nearby businesses inaccessible, stranded vehicles at a multi-storey car park and caused a series of power outages.
Images from the scene show the fruits of the incredibly swift repair operation, with the road showing no signs of the earlier disaster.