Man killed as metro viaduct falls on him in Bengaluru
The incident occurred when a truck transporting a large viaduct for metro construction along the airport route at around 12.30 am lost control while making a turn
A 35-year-old auto driver died after a large concrete barrier from the ongoing metro construction site fell on him at Kogilu Cross in Bengaluru on late Tuesday, police said, adding that a truck driver has been arrested in connection with the incident.
“The incident occurred when a truck transporting a large viaduct (a cement barrier) for metro construction along the airport route at around 12.30 am lost control while making a turn. While passengers in the auto managed to jump out of the auto on time, the driver, Khaseem Sab, was struck by the collapsing structure,” Jalahalli traffic police inspector B Raghavendra said. The victim was originally from Shidlaghatta.
He further said that though passersby rushed to help Khaseem but they could not remove the slab. “A crane was needed to remove the obstruction, which took about two hours to arrive; once it did, the viaduct was cleared, and Khaseem’s body was retrieved,” he said.
The officer said that the truck’s driver, Anil Kumar (21), originally from Tamil Nadu, has been arrested.
“BMRCL regrets to report a fatal accident that cost the life of an auto driver, who was killed in an unfortunate incident at around 12:00 am last night. The girder was being transported by a long carrier truck from Vadiyarpura casting yard . While the truck took a turn, the driver had to put brakes suddenly to avoid a vehicle which came in front of the trailer. This caused the girder to fall on an autorickshaw and resulting in the death of the driver. The body of the autorickshaw driver was recovered using cranes and despite medical attention, he was declared dead by medical authorities,” the metro authorities said in a statement.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the family of the deceased. Police personnel are conducting further investigations into the accident and suitable action will be taken. BMRCL regrets this untimely loss of life and will compensate the family of the deceased as per protocol. Safety of the general public is of utmost importance to BMRCL, whether it is in operations or construction, and we will ensure that all necessary measures are taken to avoid such occurrences in future,” it further stated.
