- Death count in Moshi garbage dump collapse rises to eight after seven bodies found
- One person remains missing; search and rescue operations are ongoing at the site
- Accident occurred when a garbage heap collapsed on the administrative building
The death count in the Moshi garbage dump collapse in Pune's Pimpri-Chinchwad has risen to eight after rescue teams recovered the bodies of seven more people from the damaged administrative building of the Waste-to-Energy project on Saturday. One person remains missing, and a search operation is still underway.
The accident took place on Wednesday at around 1:30 pm when a massive heap of garbage collapsed onto the administrative building inside the Moshi garbage depot operated by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. At the time of the incident, 23 people were trapped. Twenty-two were inside the building, while one person was buried under a garbage mound next to the structure. Five people managed to come out safely immediately after the collapse.
A large rescue operation was launched involving the Indian Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, PMRDA Fire Services and the police. On the first day itself, rescue teams successfully pulled nine people out of the building alive. Search operations then continued to locate those who were still trapped inside.
On Thursday, rescuers recovered Bhavesh Wani from the collapsed building. He was rushed to hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Efforts to reach the remaining trapped people continued, but rescuers faced major challenges as the damaged structure was unstable and unsafe. Heavy machinery, including 12 excavators, dumpers and JCB machines, was deployed to clear debris around the building and create a safe access route.
Even after days of work, the condition of the structure made entry difficult. To speed up the operation, two advanced demolition excavators were brought to the site on Friday night. Under the technical guidance of the NDRF, rescue teams carefully removed the most dangerous concrete portions of the building in a controlled manner. This allowed rescuers to finally enter the structure and continue the search.
During Saturday's operation, seven people were found inside the building. They were identified as Akshay Sawant, 35, from Moshi; Sunil Korke, 40, from Alandi; Sunny Mane, 39, from Gandharvanagari in Moshi; Mahesh Kumbhar, 33, from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar; Nagesh Gaikwad, 26, from Sanjay Gandhi Nagar in Moshi; Ranjit Patil, 22, from Moshi; and Rahul Gaikwad, 35, from Moshi.
All seven were immediately shifted to a local hospital in Pimpri. After examination, medical officers declared them dead. With these recoveries, the total number of deaths in the tragedy has reached eight.
Meanwhile, one person who is believed to be trapped beneath the garbage mound next to the building is yet to be found. Rescue teams are continuing the operation on a war footing. NDRF dog squads and specialised equipment are being used to locate the missing person. Officials said the search operation will continue without interruption until the final missing person is traced.
