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16 feared trapped as civic building collapses in Pune's Pimpri Chinchwad
The building that collapsed in Pimpri Chinchwad is situated in the premises of legacy waste dumping yard, officials said.
At least 16 people are feared trapped after a building collapsed in Pune's Pimpri Chinchwad on Wednesday, officials said. The building collapse took place as heavy rains continue to batter several parts of Maharashtra, including Pune and Mumbai.
The building that collapsed is situated in the premises of legacy waste dumping yard, said Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi said. The incident took place after a huge mound of garbage crashed onto it following heavy rains. Track weather updates
The building was being used as an administrative office of a private company processing waste at the site on behalf of the civic body, PTI reported, citing quoted officials.
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"The administrative building was situated next to a mountain-like pile of legacy waste. Prima facie, it appears that due to heavy rains, the waste mound became loose and collapsed on top of the building," Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi said.
While 20 people were inside the building when it collapsed, four managed to escape. said as many as 16 employees of the private company are believed to be inside the building. Rescue teams have managed to establish contact with those trapped inside as teams of the National Disaster Response Force and fire brigade are carrying out the rescue operations.
"Heavy rainfall over the past two days caused the legacy waste to become unstable and slide onto the administrative building," he said.
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According to Suryawanshi, the administrative building is located adjacent to the sanitary landfill (SLF) containing legacy waste near the waste-to-energy plant at Moshi in Pimpri-Chinchwad l.
Heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc in Pune and Mumbai over the past few days as monsoon firmed its grip over the region. On July 6, four people, including three of a family, were killed in a landslide and wall collapse, while two others were swept away in separate rain-related incidents as heavy showers battered Pune district, prompting authorities to rescue or shift more than 500 people to safer places.
