Pune (Maharashtra) [India], July 12 (ANI): The death toll in the building collapse incident in Pimpri-Chinchwad of Pune district rose to eight on Saturday after the bodies of seven more persons trapped inside the collapsed administrative building of the Waste-to-Energy project were recovered during the fourth day of the search and rescue operation. The search for one missing person is still underway.
The incident occurred on July 8 at around 1:30 pm when a massive heap of garbage collapsed onto the administrative building at the Moshi landfill site.
According to an official statement released by the PRO of PCMC, a total of 23 people were trapped in the incident, including 22 inside the building and one beneath the adjacent garbage mound. Five people managed to escape safely from the building, while rescue teams evacuated nine others alive on the day of the incident.
The rescue operation has been carried out jointly by the Indian Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, the PMRDA Fire Department, and the police.
On July 9, one more trapped person, identified as Bhavesh Wani, was rescued from the building and shifted to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Authorities said rescuers faced significant challenges in accessing the unstable and heavily damaged structure. To clear debris around the building, 12 excavators, dumpers and JCB machines were deployed. However, the damaged structure remained unsafe, delaying entry into the building.
Late on Friday night, two advanced demolition excavators were brought to the site. Under the technical guidance of the NDRF, the unstable concrete sections of the building were carefully dismantled, enabling rescue teams to enter the structure.
During Saturday’s search operation, the bodies of Akshay Sawant (35), Sunil Korke (40), Sunny Mane (39), Mahesh Kumbhar (33), Nagesh Gaikwad (26), Ranjit Patil (22) and Rahul Gaikwad (35) were recovered from inside the building.
All seven were rushed to YCM Hospital in Pimpri, where Medical Officer Dr Laxman Gofane declared them dead.
Officials said one person remains trapped beneath the adjacent garbage mound. Search operations are continuing on a war footing with the assistance of the NDRF’s canine squad and heavy machinery. (ANI)