School van gets stuck in trench dug for UGD in Tiruchi

Van carrying school children got stuck in poorly-covered trench in Tiruchi; water from damaged pipeline flooded the pit. After 3 hrs, the van was retrieved safely. Residents urge officials to close pits properly to ensure free flow of vehicles & expedite road works. Officials to take action to ensure safety of commuters.

A van carrying school children got stuck on a poorly covered trench dug for underground drainage (UGD) works at Krishnamoorthy Nagar in Tiruchi on Tuesday evening.

The van that was heading down the road to drop off the children in the neighbourhood was stuck on the poorly-closed trench in Bharathi Street. Water from a damaged water supply pipeline also flooded the trench. As the front wheel of the van was stuck in the pit, an earthmover was engaged to retrieve the vehicle.

“Since the road is narrow and had a big crater, the vehicle while trying to navigate the road, got stuck in it. After around three hours, the van was retrieved,” said V. Palanivel, a resident of Bharathi Street. The children were rescued safely from the van, he added.

The Corporation dug up deep trenches in the middle of the roads to install pipelines to provide UGD connections to households in Krishnamoorthy Nagar a few weeks ago. After the pipes were laid, the trench was closed with the soil dug up for the work.

“The trench was not covered properly, and it left the mud road slushy with an uneven surface, thereby causing inconvenience to the road users,” said R. Loganathan, another resident.

According to the resident, the apathy of the civic body had resulted in the mishap. “It was a dangerous situation and could have caused a major accident. Authorities must take action, and suitable steps should be enforced to ensure the safety of commuters,” he added.

Following the incident, the residents have urged the officials to close the pits properly to ensure the free flow of vehicles and expedite road works in the city.