Road and retaining wall failure in India: 12 vehicles damaged

Twelve vehicles, including cars and bikes, were reported damaged after a double failure of a retaining wall and a road occurred in Bengaluru, India.

Bengaluru is the capital of Karnataka state located in southern India. The incident occurred on the morning of Friday, April 24, 2020, in Laggere, a district northwest of the city's center. The affected vehicles were parked at both sides of the roadway.

A 20-meter section of the road gave in while a 100-meter part of the retaining wall that supported it, collapsed. Luckily, there were no people injured in the densely inhabited area. “Since it was early morning and heavy rain, no one was outside. But 12 cars were damaged,” a local official stated.

Unfortunately, the affected people were panicked and gathered in groups outside of their residences after noticing the incident. Therefore, they did not comply with the restrictions applied by the government to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

The structural failures occurred due to heavy rainfalls that preceded the following night. At about 6:30 am, an intense cracking noise was reported followed by the failure. Water flow probably deteriorated the stability of the structures, a fact that was not unprecedented. Residents are aware of the potential structural damage triggered by extreme weather phenomena in the region which is located on a downward slope. "Our building is located on a downhill stretch. Every time it rains we are worried about our lives because the buildings may collapse,” Lakshmamma, a local resident, stated.

Moreover, locals having grasped the vulnerability of the wall, requested for a new construction to be erected or, at least, to implement repair works on the existing one. However, their demands were not met. 

The situation of the road and the wall were inspected and officials ensured that the damaged sections will be fixed within a day or two, depending on the weather conditions.

The buildings in the vicinity of the road are also under inspection to assess their vulnerability. In total, 70 families living in those houses have been moved to a community center as a precautionary measure.

Extreme precipitation caused additional issues throughout the city. Flooding and power outages were reported while at least 12 trees have fallen. 

Click the video below to watch the collapsed section of the road caught on camera.