TOKYO, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Eleven people were injured on Sunday as a large festival float overturned in western Japan's Osaka prefecture.
The accident took place at around 9 a.m. local time, when a Danjiri, a large four-wheel wooden float pulled forward by many people using the float's ropes, turned sideways after making a sharp turn at an intersection in the city of Sakai.
Footage on social media showed the float lost balance when being hauled at the scene, its upper left part bumping into a roadside sign, causing it to fall on its right side.
Eleven people were injured, including some who were pulling the float and some who were riding on it, with three of them seriously injured and taken to the hospital, national broadcaster NHK reported, citing the local fire department.
Around 140 people were pulling the float or riding on it, local newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported Sunday.
Pulling Danjiri floats weighing up to tons is one of western Japan's traditional activities, but doubts have been raised in recent years as accidents often occur at Danjiri-pulling festivals, sometimes resulting in fatalities. ■