Pune: A three-storey building located beside a waste-to-energy plant in Moshi, Pune district, collapsed after a massive mound of garbage crashed onto it on Wednesday afternoon. Officials said seven of the 18 people trapped under the debris have been rescued so far.
Rescue teams continued efforts late into the night to extricate the estimated 11 people still believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
Employees of Antony Lara Renewable Energy, which operates the 14 MW waste-to-energy plant in collaboration with the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), were among those trapped, an official said.
In a statement, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation said 23 people were initially believed to be trapped under the debris, of whom five managed to escape on their own before rescue operations began.
"The operation was jointly carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indian Army, the Municipal Fire Brigade, the PMRDA Fire Brigade and the police. After sustained efforts, seven more persons were rescued safely by 8 pm," the civic body said.
It added that rescue operations were continuing on a war footing to evacuate those still trapped.
Moshi Pradhikaran is a planned township in Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune.
"The building stood next to a mountain-like pile of legacy (old) waste. Prima facie, it appears that due to heavy rainfall, the garbage mound became unstable and collapsed onto the building like a landslide," Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi said.
Another official said the incident occurred at around 1.45 pm.
Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan, who visited the site in the evening, said rescue teams had established contact with three people trapped under the debris.
"The rubble has fallen on their legs, and efforts are underway to remove it and bring them out safely. All agencies are working in coordination, and we are hopeful of completing the rescue operation by Thursday morning," Mahajan said.
He added that rescuers had managed to provide biscuits and drinking water to two or three trapped individuals.
The area received more than 600 mm of rainfall over the past 30 to 35 hours, resulting in a large accumulation of water at the garbage depot, the minister said.
"The accumulated water caused a massive flow of garbage to surge towards the building, leading to this unfortunate incident," he said.
Meanwhile, the Army's Southern Command said in a statement that a Joint Task Force comprising engineering and medical personnel had been deployed to assist with rescue and relief operations.
The Army team is working in close coordination with the NDRF and other emergency agencies, it added.
