People travelling by a bus and a car had a close shave when a Chennai road suddenly caved in on Sunday. The driver of the bus, waiting at a stop at Anna Salai in the heart of the city, raised an alarm when he felt the vehicle sinking and the passengers - around 35 - jumped out.

The sole occupant of a car that was passing by also jumped out, as the vehicle slipped into the crater that was at least 4 feet deep. No one was injured. The cave-in occurred around a kilometre from the site of tunnelling for Metro Rail.

"The bus halted at the Gemini bus stop as usual and suddenly, we realised the bus was going down. Immediately, the driver alerted the passengers to evacuate," bus conductor Ramesh said.

Initially, the driver thought it was a puncture, he added. Pradeep, the sole occupant of the car, said: "As soon as the car went in, I jumped out."