‘Saw them being buried under a heap of soil within a matter of seconds‘

Srinivas, a local vendor, recounted the harrowing moments when a construction underpass in Bangalore unexpectedly collapsed. "I screamed 'niklo, niklo' (get out) as soon as I saw the soil loosening and caving in," he said, emphasizing that the entire incident unfolded within seconds. Srinivas had been working at his condiments stall, just a short distance from the site, when he sensed something amiss. He looked up and witnessed a section of the wall giving way, burying several individuals in a matter of seconds.

The under-construction BDA underpass, approximately 100 meters long and 20 feet deep, was being prepared for concreting. Workers had already pumped out the accumulated rainwater and were tightening the reinforcement bars. Manju, another eyewitness, provided additional details. "The deceased were at the far left, near the mud wall, while three other laborers were towards the center. When the mud caved in, it buried both of the deceased, while the other three were only buried up to their necks," she stated.

N. Babu, another witness, recounted how engineers at the site quickly arrived to rescue the trapped individuals. "They used their bare hands to excavate the mud and pulled the three people out of the heap," he said, praising their quick thinking. The laborers narrowly escaped by holding onto the reinforcement bars, preventing further entrapment. However, one person was still buried, and despite efforts to retrieve him, he was declared dead.

The collapse was attributed to the loosening of mud following a heavy rain on Monday, combined with additional weight from a mound of mud above the affected area. Eyewitnesses noted that the partially collapsed portion had been piling up excavated mud, exerting pressure on surrounding boundary walls. A large concrete slab lay next to the caved-in section, further contributing to the instability. The rescue operation lasted for an hour and a half before the final body was recovered.