Lorry knocks over 30 electric poles in Bengaluru, causes massive power outage: Report

A lorry that damaged power lines and knocked over about 30 electric poles early Saturday left nearly 6,000 homes near Chikkabanavara without electricity.

In the early hours of Saturday, a significant power disruption occurred near Chikkabanavara when a tipper lorry collided with power infrastructure, causing widespread outages. The incident unfolded at around 2:20 am on the route between Chikkabanavara Circle and Dwarakanagar, the Deccan Herald reported.

Restoration efforts, which began promptly, managed to restore power to most areas by Saturday evening, though the incident caused an estimated ₹7 to 8 lakh in damages. (Gurpreet Singh/HT/Representative image)

The lorry's rear carrier became entangled with and subsequently severed the power supply wires, resulting in the collapse of nearly 30 electric poles and affecting approximately 34 transformers.

Bescom officials reported that the lorry driver, apparently unaware of the damage caused by the broken carrier, continued driving for about half a kilometre, exacerbating the situation. Emergency response teams commenced restoration efforts early Saturday, and by 5 pm, around 85 per cent of the repairs were completed, with most affected areas receiving power back by the evening.

While no injuries were reported, Bescom officials estimate the total cost of the damage to be between ₹7 to 8 lakh, covering the costs of replacing the fallen poles and repairing the damaged transformers. The Soladevanahalli Police Station has registered a complaint against the lorry driver, who is being held accountable for the incident.

“Restoring power supply was of the utmost priority and we assigned multiple teams to restore power at the earliest,” an official told the publication.

“We had to repair the wires, erect new poles and restore power. While we have not kept an exact cost of items being replaced, we estimate that the damages have resulted in losses up to ₹eight lakh,” another official said, as quoted in the report.