Incredible moment massive sinkhole swallows busy five-lane street in Japan

A SINKHOLE  has opened up and devoured a huge stretch of a street in Japan.

Stoplights and sidewalks were sent tumbling more than 33 ft as the earth crumbled, snarling transport and even disrupting power supply at an international airport.

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Nobody was injured when the sinkhole opened this morning with a boom before dawn in Fukuoka.

But several high-rise office buildings teetered dangerously at the edge of the abyss as it grew.

Residents in nearby buildings have been evacuated and officials were concerned further erosion inside the sinkhole could make nearby structures collapse.

By afternoon, the hole was 98 ft long and 49 ft deep, swallowing an entire four-lane intersection.

And it appeared to still be growing.

"I saw a stoplight fall. It was really scary," one man told Fuji TV.

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TV footage showed burst water mains spewing a torrent of muddy water into the hole.

City officials said subway construction was to blame.

Online services for some banks were disrupted and power outages briefly hit 800 households as well as Fukuoka International Airport, a hub for flights from Asia.

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"All pedestrians avoid this area," a policeman with a loudhailer said.

"We are checking for gas leaks, so please don't light your cigarettes."

Fukuoka is a city of more than 1.5 million people and is 620 miles southwest of Tokyo.

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