Two die as under-construction Namma Metro pillar collapses

Bengaluru: An under-construction Namma Metro pillar collapsed in Bengaluru on January 10 in the early hours, killing two people. A mother and her child who were on a scooter died in a hospital, according to the police, while her husband and another child were receiving medical treatment for injuries.

In order to construct pillar number 218 for Namma Metro's 38.44-km KR Puram-Airport line under Phase 2B, a number of vertical TMT bars were assembled into a circular column. At 10:45 am, a large circular column, weighing several tonnes, toppled 40 feet along a major route in HBR Layout.

A family of four on a scooter were struck by the column: software engineer Tejasvini, her husband Lohit Kumar, a civil engineer, their son Vihan, and his twin sister. Due to their severe injuries, onlookers transported Tejasvini and Vihan across the street to Altius Multispeciality Hospitals.

Tejasvini and Vihan were both treated by doctors, who reported that Vihan also had a chest injury in addition to suffering significant brain injuries. According to police, Tejasvini and Vihan died shortly after, although their father and identical twin were safe. "They were in a pretty severe condition when they were taken to the hospital. They (mother and child) didn't respond to treatment despite our best efforts to save them," added Dr. Mahesh, a hospital emergency specialist.

The family is from East Bengaluru's Horamavu. The bodies have been transferred by the police to Dr. Ambedkar Hospital for an autopsy. The fact that the column didn't collapse on any other vehicles, according to witnesses, was pure luck.

"Today morning around 10.45am, a Namma Metro pillar collapsed and smashed a bike with four people on it. They are Lohith, Tejaswini (his wife) and their twin children (a son and a daughter). Tejaswini and her son Vihan were sent to a private hospital after suffering major injuries. Unfortunately, Tejaswini and Vihan died," said Bhimashankar Guled, DCP, East division. According to him, an investigation is ongoing after a case was reported. He also mentioned that experts had been brought in to investigate the pillar collapse's cause at the scene of the incident.

The allegations of negligence against Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) will also be looked into, according to the police.

At Nagawara on the Outer Ring Road (ORR), Namma Metro pillar number 218 collapsed early in the day. The collision caused vehicular congestion on the congested Hennur Road. BMRCL (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited) has not yet provided information about the incident.

"Metro pillar fell down in ORR near HBR Layout; traffic is congested at various junctions. Our traffic field officers were present and traffic will be cleared very soon," Bengaluru City Traffic Police tweeted.

Following the event, drivers in Hennur, Kalyan Nagar, HBR Layout, Nagawara, and nearby regions complained of heavy traffic.

Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister of Karnataka, has enquired of officials about the disaster. In Dharwad, he told reporters, "I have requested detailed information from the concerned officials. We'll soon make an announcement about the victims' families' compensation." "We asked the civic body to assist us in removing the debris and the barricades, but nobody came to our aid. With the assistance of locals, we later transported them to the hospital," stated an eyewitness.

Locals and commuters in the vicinity also protested against the city's civic body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).