OSAKA -- A water pipe burst under an intersection in the Nakanoshima district of Kita Ward here on Friday morning, flooding streets and forcing the area to temporarily shut down, according to local police.

The municipal waterworks bureau turned off the water supply to two buildings near the scene, and dug up the street to determine the cause of the rupture, which occurred sometime around 8:25 a.m.

Officials said the pipe may have ruptured because of age, or was affected by a recent cold spell.

Although the Yotsubashi subway line runs under the intersection, the incident did not affect its operations, police said.

Police and waterworks officials said the road surface near the center of the intersection broke apart at four spots, and cracks opened up in the asphalt in an area 4 meters across.

The road surface then rose about 20 cm and water came gushing out, flooding a 10- to 20-meter stretch of the six-lane Yotsubashi-suji road.

Officials said that about 1.2 to 1.5 meters beneath the road, a water pipe with an inner diameter of 40 cm runs north and south while one 15 cm in diameter runs east and west. The north-south pipe was laid in 1965, while the other was put in place in 1985.

The intersection is near Higobashi subway station.