BENGALURU 18 MARCH

Two women, including one who was pregnant, were killed and two children were injured after an electric pole collapsed on them during an ongoing road repair work in Bengaluru on Monday evening, police said. The incident occurred when a reversing JCB earthmoving vehicle struck the pole, causing it to fall onto the victims. The victims, 35-year-old Soni Kumari, who was four months pregnant, and her friend Sumathi, also 35, were walking home after picking up their children from a nearby tuition centre. Both women were residents of Suddaguntepalya. Soni, originally from Bihar, had lived in Bengaluru for eight years with her two children, while Sumathi, from Tamil Nadu, had settled in the city with her family. Both women were killed instantly at around 6:30 pm. The accident took place on Suddaguntepalya Main Road, where roadworks were being carried out. As the JCB vehicle reversed, it collided with an electric pole, causing it to fall. Local residents have raised concerns about the driver’s negligence, claiming that he was wearing headphones while operating the vehicle. They allege that he failed to notice an overhead electric wire, which caused the pole to uproot and collapse when pulled by the reversing vehicle. A resident, Hanumanthappa, told Salar News, "When the driver was reversing, he didn’t notice the wire above, and when it was pulled, the pole fell on the women." Another resident, Mahendra Kumar, added, "We started shouting, and only then did the driver remove his headphones and stop the machine." Police arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, detaining the JCB driver, named Raju.