Moshi Building Collapse: Rescue Operation Enters 3rd Day; 8 Still Trapped, But Survival Chances Negligible

The rescue operation involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army, the fire services of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), the police and other agencies following the collapse of a three-storey building at a waste-to-energy plant in Moshi, Pimpri-Chinchwad, has entered its third day.

According to the information received, a huge mound of garbage crashed onto the building on Wednesday afternoon, trapping around 18 individuals under the rubble. While seven victims were pulled out of the debris hours after the accident, two more were rescued after midnight. One body was recovered on Thursday morning. This leaves eight workers still trapped. Unfortunately, the chances of their survival are negligible.

What exactly happened?

At 1.30pm on Wednesday, a huge heap of legacy garbage, weakened by days of heavy rainfall, slid onto the administrative building of the waste-to-energy project being operated by Antony Lara Renewable Energy Ltd under a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). The building housed offices, a canteen and other facilities.

According to civic officials, around 23 people were at the site when the garbage mound collapsed. Five workers managed to escape immediately after the incident, while a massive rescue operation was launched for those trapped inside.

By Thursday evening, rescue teams had safely pulled out 15 people. Those rescued include Ashok Gupta, Munindra Kumar, Chandrashekhar Singh, Dinesh Sutar, Shri Bala, Somnath Shelke, Dadasaheb Arde, Ranvir Singh, Sujata Shinde, Sachin Dabadgao, Rampratap Chavan, Vijay Sapkal, Mahesh Raut and Bhushan Patil. Bhavesh Wani, who was also recovered during the operation, succumbed to his injuries.

Officials said rescue teams are continuing efforts to trace Mahesh Kumbhar, Sunny Mane, Rahul Gaikwad, Sunil Korke, Akshay Sawant, Ranjit Patil, Nagesh Gaikwad and Waman Kasbe, who are still missing beneath the collapsed structure.

Why is the operation taking time?

According to officials, the building has tilted to one side and parts of its structure have become unstable, making direct entry by rescue personnel unsafe. They said the immediate priority was to remove the debris surrounding the building and eliminate hazardous portions of the structure that could hamper rescue efforts.

"Rescuers are finding it difficult to enter the damaged building safely. We are, therefore, clearing the debris around it and taking measures to stabilise the unsafe portions. Once a secure access route is created, our teams will enter the building in a coordinated manner to reach those trapped inside," NDRF Second-in-Command Deepak Tiwari said.

PCMC Commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi said all available resources had been deployed for the operation and that the rescue strategy had been prepared after assessing the site's condition and technical challenges.

"We are closely monitoring every development at the site. Since the building has tilted and part of its structure has collapsed, the operation is being carried out with utmost caution. Once the unstable section is secured and a safe access route is created, rescue teams will enter the building to evacuate those trapped," the PCMC chief said.