Pimpri Chinchwad building collapse: Two more rescued, survivor count rises to nine

Two more people were rescued after midnight from the debris of a building that collapsed at a waste management facility in Pimpri Chinchwad near Pune, taking the total number of survivors to nine, officials said on Thursday, as a large-scale rescue operation continued to search for those still trapped.

The three-storey building, located within the premises of a waste-to-energy plant at Moshi, collapsed on Wednesday afternoon after a massive mound of garbage came crashing onto it. Around 18 people were believed to have been trapped under the rubble when the structure gave way.

Seven people had been pulled out of the debris within hours of the accident. Two more were rescued during the night and taken to hospital, where they are said to be in a stable condition.

Deputy commissioner of police Ganesh Ingale said rescue teams were continuing efforts to reach those still feared trapped beneath the debris.

The building was situated at a 14 MW waste-to-energy plant operated by Antony Lara Renewable Energy in collaboration with the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Employees of the company were among those inside the structure when it collapsed, officials had said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the civic body said 23 people were initially suspected to be trapped in the incident, of whom five managed to come out safely on their own. Rescue teams were then deployed to extricate the others from the debris.

The operation is being carried out jointly by the National Disaster Response Force, the Indian Army, the municipal fire brigade, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s fire services and the police.

The civic body said rescue efforts were continuing on a war footing.

Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi had earlier said the building stood next to a huge pile of legacy waste and that heavy rain may have caused the mound to loosen and collapse onto the structure.

“The building stood 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 onto the building like a landslide,” he had said.

With PTI inputs