A massive 98-foot-wide sinkhole in Japan swallowed a five-lane street in Fukuoka. Construction crews were working to extend the nearby Hakata Station, which may have caused the sinkhole to form. Screen capture/NBCU/AOL

FUKUOKA, Japan, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A massive sinkhole opened near a busy subway station in Japan, swallowing a five-lane street nearby.

Two smaller holes near the Hakata Station in Fukuoka city combined to form the giant 98-foot wide sinkhole, according to the BBC.


Fukuoka city management officer told CNN that city officials were working to extend the subway station to the city center and that the construction may have contributed to the formation of the sinkhole.

No serious injuries were reported, but the sinkhole did disrupt power, water, gas and transport services in the surrounding area.

The hole filled with water that seeped out of nearby sewer pipes and approximately 170 households in Fukuoka were left without power.