Incredible photos show an extraordinary number of insects wreaked havoc on drivers, closing a bridge and causing accidents on the weekend.
The Aigiōhashi Bridge, which stretches over the Kiso River, connecting Gifu and Aichi Prefectures, was a scene of chaos on the weekend, as swarms of mayflies descended on the area, piling up on the road in a one-centimetre thick layer, creating a slippery surface that posed a danger to drivers.
愛岐大橋やばい😨😨😨 pic.twitter.com/hkCBDakvcY
— りょうた (@ryotan1206) September 11, 2016
These photos, taken when the incident occurred, on the night of Saturday 11 September, show just how treacherous driving became, with driver visibility obviously affected.
虫大量発生
— sslogic (@sslogic) September 11, 2016
愛岐大橋渡らない方がいいかも pic.twitter.com/KTsQo5sETs
The slippery surface posed such a risk to drivers that the bridge was closed temporarily. According to officials, a rear-end collision involving several vehicles occurred on the bridge while the insects were falling in the area.
愛岐大橋ヤベェんだけどwwww
— おーほり (@12kuro12) September 11, 2016
でっけぇ羽虫みたいなのが竜巻みたいに発生してて対向車線事故ってめっちゃ渋滞してる pic.twitter.com/TXyxpiCMKU
Drivers and passengers were shocked by what they saw, with many people sharing photos of the situation on Twitter.
約4時間前の愛岐大橋の話し。
— 元気理容師 かなパー (@chokikana) September 11, 2016
ウスバカゲロウの大量発生∑(゚Д゚)
ひとつ北のライン大橋もこんな感じだったそーで pic.twitter.com/ll6WaaX4bd
▼ From this angle, it looked like insects were falling from the sky.
https://twitter.com/R____piyo/status/774930997976502272▼ At one point, the insect cover looked like snow.
愛岐大橋でウスバカゲロウ大量発生で追突事故してる!!やべぇ pic.twitter.com/XO82WLakTF
— ともや。アコギ弾き語り (@tomoyaT314e) September 11, 2016
Police were on hand to help guide drivers safely across the bridge. It couldn’t have been a pleasant job being out there amongst all those mayflies!
いいですよー! pic.twitter.com/aoPbUfNGJl
— りょうた (@ryotan1206) September 11, 2016
According to officials, mayfly swarms of this magnitude have not been seen in recent years. While the rear-end collision and the long traffic jam leading up to the bridge caused long delays, thankfully no injuries were reported.
Source: Hachima Kikou
Top Image: Twitter/@sslogic
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