Water main break in downtown Boston floods Chinatown streets

A water main break in downtown Boston flooded several streets in Chinatown and impeded traffic Sunday afternoon.

The break happened near 66 Harrison Ave., Boston police tweeted around 3:30 p.m. Police advised drivers to avoid the area while crews made repairs.

“Parts of Kneeland, Tyler, Washington, and Hudson Streets will be closed and impacted until repairs are made,” police wrote.

At 4:20 p.m., the Boston Water and Sewer Commission said that crews were still responding to the incident and promised updates on the situation.

Video from the scene showed cars driving through the flooded streets as pedestrians tried to hop over them.

The break happened just after 2:30 p.m., NBC10 Boston reported. A spokesperson for the water commission reportedly told the news station that some nearby buildings don’t have water because of the break, but that they don’t believe any basements have flooded.

It’s unclear what caused the break or how long it will take crews to make the necessary repairs. A contractor was doing work near the break, and the commission said that the work being done there could be a contributing factor, WCVB reported.

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