Ludhiana, June 6 -- Traffic remained disrupted for over 12 hours on the busy Link Road opposite ESIC Hospital after a section of the carriageway caved in around midnight, with preliminary investigations pointing to an underground water leak that had reportedly gone unchecked for two days despite repeated alerts to civic authorities.

The collapse, which occurred shortly after a truck carrying construction material passed through the stretch, left behind a crater nearly 12 feet wide and 10 feet deep, forcing authorities to restrict traffic on the key road linking Bharat Nagar Chowk with the bus stand.

Municipal corporation (MC) teams continued repair work through Friday, while officials said restoration of the damaged stretch was likely t...