Pune: Civic Truck Sinks Into Massive Sinkhole At City Post Office, Driver Escapes Unhurt; Video Surfaces

A Pune Municipal Corporation truck fell into a sinkhole at the City Post Office, Budhwar Peth. The truck, used for drainage cleaning, sank after the surface caved in.

A truck belonging to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) fell into a sinkhole at the City Post Office premises in the Budhwar Peth locality of Maharashtra's Pune on Friday afternoon. The incident occurred around 4 pm, with the truck, used for drainage cleaning, sinking into the ground as the surface gave way.

The truck, a jetting machine used to clean drainage lines, was positioned at the site when a portion of the paved surface, made of interlocking cement blocks, caved in. The driver escaped unscathed, confirmed a fire brigade official, news agency PTI reported.

Videos from the scene showed the truck sliding rear-first into the sinkhole as the surface crumbled beneath it. "Underground work of Pune Metro is going on in the area but the reason for the sinkhole was yet to be ascertained," the official said.

Pune News: PMC Truck Pulled Out Of Sinkhole, Commissioner Assures Probe

Efforts to pull the truck out were initiated immediately, and by the evening, the vehicle was successfully removed with the aid of two cranes, news agency ANI reported.

Pune Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr Rajendra Bhosale, speaking about the incident, told ANI, “The news was that it was not on any public road but on the postal premises, where there was an old well that had been covered with a slab. Since this drainage vehicle is heavy, this incident happened.”

“Now, it has been removed with the help of two cranes. An investigation will be conducted, but no injuries were reported,” he added.