Chennai Metro Rail's 2 girders collapse; biker dead
The incident happened on Mount Poonamalle Road near Ramapuram
Two girders, used in the ongoing construction of Chennai's Metrorail Phase 2, collapsed late on Thursday (June 12), and a biker was dead, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) said.
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The incident happened at 9:30 PM on the Poonamallee-Mount corridor near Manapakkam.
CMRL's statement
"Two I-girders that had been erected a week ago near the L&T Head office main gate in Manapakkam has collapsed unexpectedly when one of its supporting A-frames gave way by slipping (sic)," CMRL said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
CMRL along with its contractors are removing the debris on war footing basis to restore traffic movement in the road and investigation will be conducted to ascertain the cause of the collapse, it added.
CMRL further stated that they will launch an inquiry into the incident. "It's with regret that we confirm death of one motor cyclist and it is being ascertained whether the motor cycle also had a pillion rider. We express our deepest condolences to the family of the injured deceased. The incident will be enquired into thoroughly."
What eyewitnesses said
An A-frame is a temporary steel support structure used to hold heavy concrete girders in place until they are permanently secured. In this case, it acted like the main stand holding up the massive concrete segments — and when it gave way, the entire weight of the girders collapsed onto the road below.
Eyewitnesses at the spot told The Federal that the biker was caught underneath the fallen structure. Rescue operations were delayed by over an hour due to traffic snarls, which hampered the arrival of the heavy-weight cranes. Emergency crews began clearing operations only by 10:40 PM, with heavy cranes reaching the site around 11 PM.
ISPRO demands immediate probe
In the aftermath, the International Safety Professionals and Research Organization (ISPRO) released a statement demanding an immediate and independent investigation into the cause of the collapse and accountability from project engineers and safety officers involved. ISPRO termed the death "preventable" and called for mandatory third-party safety audits across all CMRL Phase-II sites.
The organization stressed that such incidents reflect serious lapses in public safety, and urged swift, transparent action from both the Tamil Nadu government and CMRL to prevent further tragedies.