One dead, eight still feared trapped in Moshi building collapse

The deceased was identified as 33-year-old Bhavesh Mohan Wani, who was pulled out of the collapsed structure around 9 am after an overnight search operation. He was rushed to Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH), where doctors declared him dead.

Pune: The first fatality in the Moshi garbage depot building collapse was reported on Thursday, nearly 20 hours after a massive mound of garbage crashed into a three-storey administrative building. Rescue teams continued to battle against time to locate eight people still feared trapped beneath tonnes of debris and waste.

One dead, eight still feared trapped in Moshi building collapse

The deceased was identified as 33-year-old Bhavesh Mohan Wani, who was pulled out of the collapsed structure around 9 am after an overnight search operation. He was rushed to Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH), where doctors declared him dead. The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) officials said nine people have been rescued alive so far.

Preliminary findings suggest Wani suffered fatal injuries after being trapped beneath debris and a collapsed structural pillar. His body has been sent for post-mortem.

“Wani was brought to the hospital in a critical condition. After examination, doctors declared him dead,” said Dr Rajendra Wabale, dean of YCMH.

The accident occurred around 1.30 pm on Wednesday when a massive mound of garbage gave way and crashed into the ground-plus-two-storey administrative building of the waste-to-energy plant at the Moshi garbage depot. Most employees were having lunch in the first-floor canteen when the garbage hit the building.

According to the PCMC, 23 people were inside the building at the time of the collapse. Five employees—Ashok Gupta, Munendra Kumar, Chandrashekhar Singh, Dinesh Sutar and Shri Bala—managed to escape immediately, while 18 others were trapped.

A massive rescue operation involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army, PCMC and PMRDA fire brigades, and the police was launched soon after the incident.

By Wednesday evening, six people—Somnath Shelke, Sachin Dawadgaon, Dadasaheb Arde, Sujata Shinde, Rampratap Chavan and Ranveer Singh—had been rescued alive and shifted to hospitals.

The operation continued through the night despite the unstable structure, thick layers of debris and the huge quantity of garbage covering the site.

Around 1.30 am on Thursday, rescuers pulled out three more employees—Vijay Sapkal, Bhushan Patil and Mahesh Raut—alive, taking the total number of survivors to nine.

The NDRF also deployed a dog squad to search the collapsed structure and garbage mound. Wani was eventually located around 9 am and rushed to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

PCMC officials said eight people were still feared trapped, and rescue efforts were continuing on a war footing. Officials did not share the names of those missing. Heavy machinery was being used cautiously as large portions of the building remained unstable, with rescuers trying to avoid any secondary collapse.

Outside the garbage depot and YCM Hospital, anxious relatives waited for updates on their missing family members.

Among them was the family of Sunny Mane, a driver who has been working at the facility for the past three years and remains missing.

Nitin Sarwade, Mane’s brother-in-law, said the family had been desperately waiting for information since Wednesday.

“Mane usually ate lunch in his car. On Wednesday, he left home with his lunch box as usual and went to work. We don’t know why he decided to eat in the canteen that day. We have been running from pillar to post, but there is still no information about his whereabouts,” Sarwade said while waiting at YCMH. Mane has two children, aged two and seven.

“His seven-year-old child has been asking for his father since the incident. We have no answers. We are only waiting and hoping that he is found safely,” he said.

Another family waiting for news was that of Mahesh Kumbhar, an HR assistant at the company, who has been working there for the past year.

His elder brother, Santosh Kumbhar, said they were informed about the accident by the company’s HR department on Wednesday night.

“I tried contacting one of Mahesh’s colleagues, but later learnt that he too was caught in the collapse and had been admitted to hospital,” Santosh said.

He was in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar when he received the call and rushed to Moshi, reaching on Thursday morning. Mahesh had married less than three weeks ago, on June 22.

“Since morning, we have been waiting here for information. PCMC officials have not told us anything about Mahesh’s whereabouts. Some time ago, we saw the body of one victim being taken away, but no one is telling us anything. We just want to know where my brother is,” Santosh said.

PCMC commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi, additional commissioners Kuldeep Jangam and Vikrant Bagade, along with other senior civic officials, remained at the site to supervise the rescue operation. Member of Parliament Shrirang Barne also visited the site on Thursday to review the rescue efforts.

The collapsed building houses the administrative office of the waste-to-energy plant operated by Antony Lara Renewable Energy Ltd under an agreement with the PCMC. It comprises a basement parking area, a canteen on the first floor, and administrative offices and meeting rooms on the second floor.