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Garbage ‘landslide’ on Pune building; 12 trapped, 11 rescued
Rescue operations continued late into Wednesday night after heavy rain triggered collapse of legacy waste mound onto building at Moshi garbage depot, with 11 people rescued and 12 feared trapped
PUNE: A massive rescue operation continued late into Wednesday night after a three-storey administrative building at the Moshi garbage depot collapsed when a huge mound of legacy waste gave way following heavy rain. By the time of going to press, 11 people had been rescued, while 12 were still feared trapped beneath the debris, officials said.
Six people were pulled out alive from the collapsed structure on Wednesday evening after hours of rescue efforts. Earlier, five employees inside the building adjoining the waste-to-energy plant escaped by climbing out through windows immediately after the collapse, officials said.
The six survivors — five men and one woman — were rescued during a joint operation involving the Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Border Security Force (BSF), the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) fire brigade and police personnel, Maharashtra disaster management minister Girish Mahajan said.
Three to four of those rescued sustained injuries and were shifted to hospital. No fatalities had been reported till the filing of this report.
Mahajan, who monitored the operation, said rescue teams had established contact with some of those trapped.
“We have managed to speak to three trapped persons and have provided them with tea and biscuits. Every effort is made to rescue everyone safely. The biggest challenge is that the structure is unstable and we have to ensure it does not collapse further during the operation. We expect the rescue to continue till Thursday morning,” he said.
The incident occurred around 1.30 pm when employees were having lunch in the canteen.
The ground-plus-two-storey building houses the administrative office of the waste-to-energy plant operated by Antony Lara Renewable Energy Ltd under an agreement with PCMC. It has basement parking, a first-floor canteen, and administrative offices and meeting rooms on the second floor.
According to the civic officials, 16 to 17 employees were inside the first-floor canteen when the garbage mound slid onto the building. Four employees working on the second floor escaped immediately, while those in the canteen were trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
“All four staff members who escaped are stable. Only one sustained minor injuries and was shifted to a nearby private hospital for examination,” said Dr Rajendra Wabale, dean, Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital.
Officials suspect the collapse was triggered by exceptionally heavy rainfall over the past two to three days, which destabilised the adjoining legacy waste mound. Chinchwad recorded more than 500 mm of rainfall in the 72 hours ending 8.30 am on Wednesday.
Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi said the building, inaugurated two years ago, was located about 30 metres from the garbage heap and had no known structural defects.
“The rescue operation is extremely delicate because the structure has already collapsed. Teams are cutting through the slabs layer by layer to safely reach those trapped. Fresh air is also being pumped inside because there is a risk of poisonous gases emanating from the garbage,” he said.
Suryawanshi said around 20 people were inside the building when the garbage mound slid onto it. Eleven have escaped or brought to safety, while rescuers established contact with some of those still trapped.
The fire brigade reached the site within 10 to 15 minutes of the incident, after which the NDRF and Army were requisitioned. Around 25 cardiac ambulances, medical teams and disaster response personnel were deployed.
Rescuers first breached the first-floor slab before cutting through steel reinforcement bars to lower personnel into the collapsed section. Leading fireman Anil Wagh, Fireman Chetan Mane and two NDRF personnel repeatedly entered the unstable structure to bring survivors to safety, said PCMC fire brigade chief Rushikant Chipade.
Ankush Chavan, public relations officer (Defence), Pune, said a joint task force of the Southern Command, comprising engineer and medical personnel, had been deployed to assist in the operation.
“The Army team is working in close coordination with the NDRF, police, fire services and other civil agencies to support the ongoing rescue operations,” he said.
With the initial manual search nearing completion, officials said heavy machinery, including Poclain excavators, had been deployed. Debris removal, however, was being carried out with extreme caution to avoid endangering anyone still trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
