A body was recovered from the debris of a building that collapsed at a waste management plant in Pimpri Chinchwad near Pune, officials said on Thursday, as rescuers continued a multi-agency operation to locate those still trapped. Nine people have been rescued so far.
The victim was identified as Bhavesh Wani, who was brought to Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital after being pulled from the rubble but was declared dead on arrival, hospital dean Rajendra Wable said.
The three-storey building at the waste-to-energy plant in Moshi collapsed on Wednesday afternoon after a massive mound of garbage gave way and crashed onto the structure.
Authorities initially estimated that around 18 people were trapped, while the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) said 23 people were believed to have been inside the building, with five managing to escape before rescue teams reached the spot.
Seven people were rescued within hours of the collapse, while two more were pulled out after midnight, taking the total number of rescued persons to nine.
An NDRF official said rescuers suspect seven to eight people are still trapped beneath the debris. “We have spotted two persons who are motionless and appear to be seriously injured. The debris has to be removed manually as heavy machinery could create vibrations and destabilise the structure,” the official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Ganesh Ingale said the rescue operation was continuing to locate and evacuate the remaining victims.
Employees of Antony Lara Renewable Energy, which operates the 14-MW waste-to-energy plant in partnership with the PCMC, were among those trapped when the building collapsed, officials said.
The rescue effort is being carried out jointly by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indian Army, the municipal fire brigade, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s fire brigade and the police.
The PCMC said the operation was continuing on a war footing. Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi had earlier said the building was located beside a mountain-like pile of legacy waste, which was likely destabilised by heavy rain before crashing onto the structure in a landslide-like incident.
Authorities said rescue teams were continuing to manually clear the debris in a bid to reach those still feared trapped beneath the collapsed building.
– Ends
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