Power Failure Leaves Thousands Stranded at Osaka Expo
(MENAFN) A power failure late Wednesday night forced the suspension of the only subway line serving the venue for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, leaving thousands of visitors stranded inside the venue well into the night and causing a delay to the event’s scheduled opening the next morning.
The Osaka Metro Chuo Line, the sole rail service providing direct access from downtown Osaka to the expo site, came to a halt at approximately 9:30 p.m. local time, just 30 minutes before the venue was set to close. This disruption left large crowds unable to return home.
At the time of the outage, approximately 30,000 people were inside the venue, according to the expo organizers. Access to the nearest station, Yumeshima Station, was not fully restored until shortly before midnight, but many visitors remained stranded. The total number of those affected is still unclear, though reports indicated that a significant number of visitors and staff were forced to stay overnight, according to media.
As the night wore on, visitors were seen sitting beneath the venue's towering wooden structure, the Grand Ring, while they waited for the situation to be resolved.
Local authorities reported that 36 individuals were taken to hospitals by Thursday morning due to suspected heatstroke or other health issues, although none of the cases were deemed serious.
The Chuo Line resumed full service at 5:25 a.m. on Thursday, with the expo opening 30 minutes behind schedule at 9:30 a.m. local time.
“We are sorry that many people had to go through a tough time,” said a senior official from the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition during a Thursday press conference.
Osaka Metro also offered its apology, attributing the power outage to an issue with the powered rail alongside the tracks.
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