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A motorist escaped with minor injuries and the wheels of a heavy vehicle got trapped in a road cave-in at Ambattur on Sunday. The footage of the incident has gone viral on social media.

Karukku Main Road in Ambattur is an important link road as it connects the Chennai Bypass with the Ambattur Industrial Estate and Pattravakkam.

On Sunday morning, a portion of the road near the Vishnu temple suddenly caved-in. A two-wheeler rider fell into the crater, and the rear wheels of a truck that was right behind the two-wheeler got trapped in the hole.

Residents in the locality rushed to the spot and rescued the motorist.

Road barricaded

On being alerted about the cave-in, Ambattur police went to the spot and barricaded the road. Traffic police personnel were deputed after a large number of people gathered to shoot videos of the incident.

Inquiry with the Chennai Corporation revealed that the cave-in was caused by a rupture of a sewage pipeline, which is linked to the Korattur sewage pumping station, the police said.

Ruptured pipeline

“A damage in the main sewage pipeline is suspected to be the cause of the cave-in. The pipeline is old — laid only after Ambattur became a part of the Chennai Corporation. Metrowater officials are checking. Due to a shortage of staff on Sunday, the road is expected to be restored by 10 a.m. on Monday. For now, barricades have been erected on the stretch, and police have been deployed to prevent any untoward incidents,” the Ambattur Ward Committee Chairperson, B.K. Murthy, said.