Two Workers Killed in Soil Cave-in at FTII Circle Underpass Site

Two construction workers were killed and three others injured after a portion of soil caved in at the site of an under-construction underpass near FTII Circle in Mahalakshmi Layout, Bengaluru, around 11 a.m. on August 11.

The incident occurred during construction work being undertaken by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). Water had accumulated in a pit dug for laying reinforced cement concrete (RCC), and workers were pumping the water out when the soil suddenly collapsed, trapping five workers beneath the earth.

Three workers managed to escape or were injured, while two others were trapped in the falling soil. Sonaram, 26, originally from Odisha, was rescued from the pit and rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead. Parimal, 31, died after being trapped under the debris. The three injured workers were identified as Sadanand, Sunil, and Irmiyaz, who are originally from Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Police and emergency personnel arrived at the location to carry out rescue operations. BDA Commissioner P. Manivannan stated that the soil may have collapsed due to recent rains and announced that a retired judge and a chief engineer would be asked to probe the tragedy.

Manivannan added that the BDA has instructed the project contractor to cover medical treatment for the injured, compensate the families of the deceased workers, and arrange to transport their bodies home. He noted that if the contractor fails to act immediately, the BDA will cover the expenses and recover the costs from the contractor.

Mahalakshmi Layout BJP MLA K. Gopalaiah visited the site following the accident and alleged that negligence by both the BDA and the contractor caused the deaths. He questioned why deep excavation work from a height of nearly 20 feet was allowed to proceed during the rainy season.

The underpass project near Kanteerava Studio junction on the Outer Ring Road was originally initiated in 2016 alongside a flyover to make the stretch signal-free. While the flyover opened in 2019, underpass work remained stalled for years due to land acquisition disputes before recently restarting.