Rescue teams searching for people trapped in a collapsed building in Pune's Moshi face challenges from high methane and low oxygen levels. Personnel from NDRF, Army, and other agencies continue round-the-clock operations, with 9 rescued alive.
Rescue Challenges and Multi-Agency Response
Elevated methane levels and falling oxygen concentration are posing fresh challenges to rescue teams searching for people trapped under the debris of a collapsed building at Moshi in Pune, even as personnel from multiple agencies continued round-the-clock operations for the second consecutive day, a fire official said on Thursday.
NDRF teams, along with sniffer dogs, reached the collapse site in the Moshi area of Pimpri Chinchwad this morning and continued search and rescue operations to extricate people trapped beneath the debris. Personnel from the Army, Fire Brigade, police and the local administration are also engaged in the operation.
Fire Official Details Operational Hurdles
Speaking to ANI, Pimpri-Chinchwad Fire Department Sub Fire Officer Dilip Gaikwad said rescue teams had safely evacuated all survivors who responded to rescuers, while efforts were continuing to locate those who remained unresponsive beneath the debris. "The problem right now is the debris that has come there due to sliding. That's the biggest issue. Because of that, the building has lifted a bit from the back side. So, we have made a triangular-like duct there by cutting the slab. From there, the operation is ongoing," Gaikwad said.
He said nine people had been rescued alive so far, while three to five others reportedly managed to come out on their own before rescue teams reached the site. "For now, we had a list of 17 people. Out of those, we've rescued nine. Before our arrival, or by the time we reached, we heard that three to five people had come out on their own. The rest who are trapped inside haven't replied. We tried a lot yesterday for any sound, but no one replied," he said.
Gaikwad said the unstable structure prevented rescue teams from approaching from one side, forcing them to create an access point by cutting through the lifted portion of the building. "The building has collapsed. We've tried from the side where the building has lifted because rescue operations from the opposite side were risky for the search teams. Now we're using JCBs to remove the debris, which is allowing us to go deeper inside than we could yesterday. We will search the entire building after removing the debris. How long it will take, we can't say, but our operation has been ongoing since yesterday," he said.
Hazardous Conditions Inside Debris
Highlighting the difficult conditions inside the collapsed structure, Gaikwad said, "Methane levels are a bit high there, and oxygen levels are dropping. But all the live victims who were inside were rescued safely. For those who aren't responding, we haven't found anything yet."
Operational Updates and Cause of Collapse
The rescue operation is being jointly carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army, the Fire Brigade, police and the local administration. Pune Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ganesh Ingale said the search operation has continued uninterrupted since Wednesday afternoon despite difficult conditions. "We had information about 16 or 17 people. Nine have been recovered. There are likely another six or seven. There is a massive pile of garbage here, which is making the recovery process somewhat difficult," Ingale told ANI.
According to the fifth Battalion of the NDRF, rescue teams have been conducting Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue (CSSR) operations under the guidance of Commandant SB Singh and on-site supervision of Assistant Commandant Pravin Dhat. Officials said specialised rescue equipment and technical search methods were used throughout the night, with efforts continuing to locate and safely evacuate any remaining victims.
The incident occurred after a massive mound of waste collapsed onto a three-storey administrative building at the Municipal Corporation's waste-to-energy plant in Moshi following days of heavy rainfall, trapping several people inside and triggering a multi-agency rescue operation.
Monsoon Conditions in Maharashtra
Meanwhile, heavy monsoon conditions continued to impact parts of Maharashtra today. According to Western Railway's latest monsoon update, Mumbai suburban services on the Churchgate-Dahanu Road section are running normally, while Harbour Line services between Mahim and Goregaon are also operating normally.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted a generally cloudy sky with intermittent light to moderate rainfall over Mumbai city and suburbs. Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places, with the possibility of lightning, thunder and occasional gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)