Chennai cave-in near Tidel Park: Car carrying two people plunges into 10-foot sinkhole. Watch video

A road near Tidel Park in Chennai caved in suddenly on Thursday morning, sending a car carrying two people into a roughly 10-foot-deep sinkhole. Both passengers were safe, India Today reported.

The car overturned after the road gave way. Visuals from the spot showed the vehicle lying inside the crater, with a large portion of the road collapsed around it.

The road surface reportedly gave way without warning, leaving the driver with little time to react. The car lost balance and fell into the crater before overturning.

The collapse happened on a stretch where metro rail construction work is underway. It led to traffic congestion in the area and raised concerns among motorists.

Metro workers have started repair and restoration work at the site. Traffic movement on the affected stretch remains impacted.

A similar incident was reported near Thiruvanmiyur Junction on OMR in May 2025. An ageing sewage pipeline failed, causing a portion of the road to collapse. A car fell into a six-foot-deep crater and five people were injured.

When bad roads turn deadly

The Chennai incident comes amid concerns over road conditions across India. Potholes, open excavations and other road defects have been linked to several fatal accidents.

Government data presented in Parliament showed that 2,385 people died in pothole-related road accidents across India in 2024. The number was 1,555 in 2020, an increase of more than 53% in five years. Between 2020 and 2024, pothole-related accidents claimed 9,438 lives, according to a report by The Indian Express.

Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of such deaths in 2024, with 1,369 fatalities. Tamil Nadu recorded 612 pothole-related deaths between 2020 and 2024, according to the data.

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Several recent cases 

In Delhi, 37-year-old Rashid Khan died in March 2025 after his motorcycle allegedly slipped on a large pothole near Hamdard Hospital on Mehrauli-Badarpur Road. Police said he suffered a severe head injury and was later declared dead at AIIMS Trauma Centre.

In Mumbai, 59-year-old Lalu Kamble died in July 2025 after his scooter lost balance on a pothole on the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road in Powai. He fell and was run over by a dumper truck. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation later inspected the site and said it would prepare a report on the incident.

In Ahmedabad, a couple died in September 2025 after their two-wheeler stumbled on a pothole on a waterlogged road. Rajan, 32, and Ankita Singal, 27, fell into the water and were electrocuted after exposed electrical wiring sent current through it. Police later arrested two civic officials and three contractors over alleged negligence.

In Rajasthan's Baran district, four people were killed in July 2025 after their car allegedly lost control while trying to avoid a pothole on National Highway-27. The car collided with a pickup truck. The victims were travelling from Lucknow to Kota.

Road collapses have also been reported on major infrastructure projects.

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India recorded 1.77 lakh road deaths in 2024

Potholes are only one part of India's road safety problem. As many as 1.77 lakh people died in road accidents across the country in 2024, up 2.31% from 1.73 lakh deaths in 2023, according to government data.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has said road accidents have multiple causes. These include speeding, mobile phone use, drunken driving, wrong-side driving, failure to use helmets and seat belts, vehicle condition, weather and road conditions.

In Chennai, the immediate concern is the safety of motorists using the stretch where metro construction work is underway. Repair work is currently being carried out at the site.