Moshi Tragedy: Death Toll Rises To 8 As 7 More Bodies Are Recovered On 4th Day; Search Continues For 1 Missing Worker After Nearly 80 Hours

Pimpri-Chinchwad: The death toll in the Moshi garbage depot disaster climbed to eight on Saturday after rescue teams recovered seven more bodies from the debris of the collapsed administrative building. One worker is still missing as the rescue operation entered its fourth day, nearly 80 hours after the tragedy.

The disaster occurred on Wednesday afternoon at around 1.30 pm when a massive heap of legacy waste collapsed onto the administrative building of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) Waste-to-Energy plant at Moshi, trapping 23 workers inside. 14 workers were rescued alive during the first 24 hours of the operation. The body of Bhavesh Wani was recovered on Thursday. On Saturday, rescuers found the bodies of Akshay Sawant, Sunil Korke (40) of Alandi, Sunny Mane (39) of Gandharva Nagari in Moshi, Mahesh Kumbhar (33) of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagesh Gaikwad (26) of Sanjay Gandhi Nagar in Moshi, Ranjit Patil (22) of Moshi and Rahul Gaikwad.

Bodies Sent For Post-Mortem…

The bodies were shifted to Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital in Pimpri for post-mortem examinations. Police will hand over the bodies to their families after the legal formalities. Rescue teams continued efforts late into the night to locate the last missing worker, identified as Waman Kasbe, who is believed to be trapped beneath another heap of garbage adjacent to the collapsed building.

The operation has been one of the most challenging rescue missions undertaken by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the PCMC Fire Brigade, police and other agencies. Teams have had to work through unstable debris, massive piles of garbage, concrete slabs, methane gas, foul smells, low oxygen levels and continuous rainfall. Officials said the damaged structure remains unstable, forcing rescuers to proceed with extreme caution to avoid another collapse.

Sunetra Pawar’s Visit…

Deputy Chief Minister and Pune Guardian Minister Sunetra Pawar visited the disaster site on Saturday evening and reviewed the ongoing rescue operation. Expressing condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, she said the incident was extremely unfortunate and assured that responsibility would be assigned after a thorough investigation.

Responding to criticism that the rescue operation was slow and that many people missed the late Ajit Pawar’s hands-on style of handling crises, Sunetra Pawar said she had been monitoring the situation from the very first day despite being unable to visit immediately because the Maharashtra Assembly session was in progress.

“It is natural that people feel Dada’s absence because Dada was Dada. But even though he was not here, I was paying equal attention to the situation. From the day the incident occurred, I remained in constant touch with all agencies. I instructed that the Army and the NDRF be deployed immediately. I reviewed the operation through video calls and took regular updates,” she said.

On allegations by relatives that rescue efforts were delayed due to inadequate machinery, Pawar said the operation was slowed by rain, toxic gases inside the garbage heap and the unstable nature of the debris. “The families are emotionally attached to their loved ones and naturally want the operation to move faster. However, no significant negligence has come to light so far. Whatever the inquiry reveals, action will be taken accordingly,” she said.

The Deputy Chief Minister also said the issue of legacy waste at the Moshi depot would be examined in detail once the rescue operation concludes. She said Ajit Pawar had reviewed the issue in previous years and issued several directions regarding waste management. The state government, the municipal corporation, the company operating the facility and all concerned agencies will jointly review the matter and discuss the demands of the victims’ families before taking further decisions.

Possible Irregularities In The Building…

Earlier in the day, PCMC Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryawanshi said the administration’s immediate priority was to complete the rescue operation. He said modern techniques were being used to remove the garbage surrounding the collapsed structure and that the civic body remained in constant contact with the relatives of the missing workers. He added that a detailed investigation would begin immediately after the rescue operation is completed to determine the exact cause of the disaster and identify those responsible.

The tragedy has already triggered serious questions over the management of the Moshi legacy waste project. Preliminary findings suggest that rainwater accumulated on top of the decades-old garbage mound, creating pressure that caused the nearly 50-metre-high heap to slide downhill. The garbage crossed an 18-metre-wide road and another seven-metre stretch before crashing into the administrative building, trapping workers inside.

Separate enquiries have also begun into possible construction irregularities at the building. Civic officials have stated that while the ground floor had received a completion certificate, there is no record of approval for the first and second floors, which were reportedly being used as a canteen and conference hall. The findings have raised fresh questions over whether the upper floors were constructed and occupied without the mandatory permissions.

With eight lives already lost and one worker still untraced, the Moshi disaster has emerged as one of the deadliest civic accidents in the Pimpri-Chinchwad region in recent years. The focus now remains on completing the rescue operation, supporting the affected families and determining accountability for the tragedy.