Pune waste plant collapse: Rescuers dig by hand amid unstable wreckage

Rescue efforts continue for a second day at Pune's Moshi waste plant after a landslide buried an administrative building. The structure is highly unstable, forcing a manual search for 6-7 people feared trapped. One body has been recovered.

Challenging Rescue Operation Underway

The multi-agency search and rescue operation at the Municipal Corporation's waste-to-energy plant in Moshi, Pune, entered its second day on Thursday, as teams navigate the precarious wreckage of a three-storey administrative building following a massive landslide of waste. Disaster management officials confirmed that the site remains highly unstable, with the structure tilted at a 45-degree angle, forcing rescuers to abandon heavy machinery in favour of a cautious, manual approach to avoid triggering a secondary "pancake collapse."

Commandant of the 5th Battalion NDRF, SB Singh, described the operation as exceptionally challenging due to the risk of structural failure. "We are clearing debris by hand because we cannot use machines. Using machines could cause the entire structure to collapse, which would crush anyone still inside. We are working very tactically, one person at a time from a safe distance," Singh stated.

Rescuers are currently focusing their efforts on the building's canteen area, where five to six people were reportedly present when the mound of waste buried the facility. To date, teams have successfully rescued nine individuals, while four others managed to escape immediately following the collapse. Currently, between six to seven people are feared trapped beneath the debris.

Hazardous Conditions and Search Efforts

The rescue efforts are further complicated by the volatile environment inside the wreckage. Pimpri-Chinchwad Fire Department officials reported that elevated methane levels and depleting oxygen concentrations are creating additional hazards for personnel. Despite deploying advanced life detectors, acoustic sensors, and dog squads, search teams have yet to establish contact with any survivors, though a second body was sighted beneath the rubble on Thursday morning.

Rescue teams recovered one body and traced another beneath the debris of the collapsed building at the Municipal Corporation's waste-to-energy plant in Moshi, Pune.

Monsoon Rains Trigger Tragedy

The tragedy was triggered by a massive mound of waste collapsing onto the plant's administrative block following days of relentless heavy rainfall in the region.

In a separate development highlighting the intensity of the monsoon across Maharashtra, Mumbai's water-supplying lakes have seen a dramatic surge in storage levels. Sustained rainfall over the past 72 hours has pushed usable water stock from 41.36% on Wednesday to 48.59% by Thursday morning, marking a significant rise of over 31 percentage points since the start of the week.

Local authorities and the NDRF have committed to round-the-clock efforts, though officials have cautioned that the fragile state of the collapsed building means the operation will be time-consuming. "We hope they are alive. Our full effort is ongoing," Commandant Singh added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)