Bengaluru underpass construction cave-in kills two workers
A soil cave-in during Bengaluru underpass construction tragically killed two workers, prompting investigations into safety and negligence.
The incident occurred around 11 a.m. when workers were engaged in construction work being undertaken by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA)
Updated - August 11, 2026 05:09 pm IST - Bengaluru
A portion of soil caved in at the site of an under-construction underpass near FTII Circle in Bengaluru in the morning on August 11, 2026. Two workers died. | Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain
Two workers were killed after a portion of soil caved in at the site of an under-construction underpass near FTII Circle in Bengaluru on August 11 morning.
The incident occurred around 11 a.m. when workers were engaged in construction work being undertaken by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). According to preliminary information, water had accumulated in a pit dug for laying RCC. The water was being pumped out when the soil reportedly collapsed, trapping five workers.
Three workers managed to escape while two others were trapped in the soil.
One of the trapped workers, identified as Sonaram, 26, originally from Odisha, was rescued and shifted to a hospital where he was declared dead. Another worker, Parimal, 31, died after being trapped under the soil.
The injured workers have been identified as Sadanand, Sunil and Irmiyaz. They are reportedly from Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Police and emergency personnel reached the spot and initiated rescue operations. Further details regarding the exact cause of the soil collapse and safety measures at the construction site are awaited.
BDA Commissioner P. Manivannan told The Hindu that work on the underpass was underway, and that soil had been dug up. “The soil suddenly collapsed, maybe due to rains. We have decided to ask a retired judge and a chief engineer to probe the incident,” he said.
“We have told the contractor to take care of the injured persons, and to compensate the families of the deceased and arrange for their bodies to be sent home. If the contractor doesn’t do it immediately, BDA will do it, and recover the cost from the contractor,” he said.
Mahalakshmi Layout BJP MLA K. Gopalaiah, who visited the spot of the accident, said the death toll could go up to three. “Two bodies have been recovered till now and there is another,” he said.
He alleged that negligence by the BDA and the contractor was directly responsible for the tragedy. “Earth has fallen on five people from a height of around 20 feet. The BDA and the contractor should have thought as to whether they should have taken up such work during the rains,” he said.
He further said that the project had begun nearly a decade ago and had been stalled for years due to land acquisition issues. “I had to sit on a protest in 2023 for the BDA to restart work. Now this tragedy has occurred again due to their negligence,” he said.
The underpass work began as part of a package of a flyover and underpass at Kanteerava Studio junction on Outer Ring Road to make the stretch signal-free in 2016. While the work on the flyover was completed in 2019, the underpass work got stuck midway. The BDA had dug up earth from Peenya towards Mahalakshmi Layout. But for the underpass to come up on the other side, private property owners refused to give up lands and it ran into litigation for many years.
The project needed 20,000 sqm of land from 43 private properties of which 12 litigated, delaying the project inordinately. The BDA recently negotiated with 11 of these property owners for a better compensation package and began work at the Mahalakshmi Layout end in December 2025.
The project has been under construction for a decade now and has seen wide cost escalation as well.
Published - August 11, 2026 03:34 pm IST
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