Nine Still Trapped After Rain, Garbage Pile Trigger Pune Building Collapse

Rescue teams are trying to establish contact with nine people still trapped under debris after a three-floor building in Pune's Moshi Pradhikaran collapsed Wednesday afternoon.

There were 23 people inside the building when a "mountain-like" pile of garbage that stood next door disintegrated amid heavy rainfall and slammed into the structure. Five managed to exit the collapsed building on their own, while nine others were pulled out from under debris by 8 pm.

The rescued individuals were shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Officials said employees of a renewable energy company that works with the district administration to run a 14MW power plant in the region were among those trapped.

The company was reportedly using the building as an administrative office.

A multi-agency rescue operation — involving teams from the local police and fire services, the Army, and the National Disaster Response Force — is underway to save the remaining people, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ganesh Ingale told reporters.

The operation includes special instruments, including rescue cameras (mounted on flexible fibre-optic cables that can be inserted through cracks) and listening devices capable of detecting sounds such as tapping or scratching from beneath piles of debris.

Heavy machinery, including earth movers, and medical teams have also been deployed.

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryawanshi and Police Commissioner Vinaykumar Choubey are monitoring the rescue operation, while Maharashtra Water Resources and Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan visited the site and reviewed the situation.

Meanwhile, relentless monsoon rains continue to batter Maharashtra, severely disrupting normal life across Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Pune, Nashik, and the wider Konkan region.

Heavy rainfall over the past week has led to widespread waterlogging, landslides, transport disruptions, and multiple rain-related accidents, including the temporary closure of the newly inaugurated 'missing link' section of the Pune-Mumbai Expressway following a landslide.

Rocks, mud and debris blocked the stretch, damaging a protective slab and part of a retaining wall near the tunnel entrance. Traffic was diverted while debris removal operations were carried out.

The section has now reopened, but motorists have been urged to exercise caution.