Water streamed through the streets after the rupture near Bleecker and Sullivan streets, officials said. View Full Caption Twitter/@rob2636

GREENWICH VILLAGE — The streets in a corner of Greenwich Village turned into rivers Thursday afternoon when an underground water pipe burst, officials and witnesses said.

The 12-inch pipe ruptured on Bleecker Street between Sullivan Street and LaGuardia Place about 1:20 p.m., according to FDNY and Department of Environmental Protection officials.

"I was working behind the counter. All of a sudden, water was flying about a foot in the air. It was flowing onto the sidewalk. The sidewalk just folded and caved in," said Jimmy Alkandi, 25, who was working at Bleecker's Finest Deli at the time.

"People were yelling and screaming. It was kind of scary, kind of fun. I thought the whole ground might cave in."

Passersby posted photos of water flowing down Bleecker Street to Twitter and other social media.

something burst under the Bleecker/Sullivan intersection, Bleecker St is now a creek. pic.twitter.com/O0Cr1tSzBr — Noah Veltman (@veltman) January 15, 2015

The DEP shut off the pipe, leaving 250 customers without water, a spokeswoman said.

Traffic was closed on Bleecker Street between Sullivan Street and LaGuardia Place, and on Sullivan Street between West Houston and West Third streets, while a contractor worked to mend the break. It was not immediately clear how long the street would be blocked off.

The FDNY was still on scene about an hour later monitoring flooding in surrounding basements, a spokesman said.

The DEP was also responding to the scene.