Pune building collapse: Death toll rises to 8, one person still missing

Pune: The death toll in the Moshi garbage dump collapse in Pune's Pimpri-Chinchwad has increased to eight after rescue teams recovered seven more bodies from the collapsed administrative building of the Waste-to-Energy project on Saturday. Rescue officials said one person remains missing, and search operations are continuing.

The incident occurred around 1:30 pm on Wednesday when a massive mound of garbage collapsed onto the administrative building inside the Moshi garbage depot operated by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).

How the tragedy unfolded

At the time of the collapse, 23 people were trapped. Twenty-two were inside the administrative building, while another person was buried beneath a nearby heap of garbage. Five people managed to escape immediately after the incident.

A large-scale rescue operation was launched involving the Indian Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), PCMC, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) Fire Services and the police.

On the first day, rescue teams pulled nine people out alive. However, one rescued worker, identified as Bhavesh Wani, was declared dead after being taken to hospital.

Rescue operation faced major challenges

Rescuers faced difficulties due to the unstable condition of the damaged building, which made it dangerous to enter. Authorities deployed 12 excavators, JCB machines and dumpers to remove debris and create safe access routes.

Later, two specialised demolition excavators were brought in to carefully dismantle unstable concrete sections under the supervision of the NDRF, allowing rescue teams to continue searching inside the collapsed structure.

One person still missing

During Saturday's operation, rescue teams recovered seven more victims from the debris. All were taken to a hospital in Pimpri, where doctors declared them dead, taking the overall death toll to eight.

Officials said one person is still believed to be trapped beneath the garbage mound adjacent to the collapsed building. NDRF dog squads and specialised search equipment continue to be used as rescue operations remain underway.