Pune: Moshi Garbage Depot Tragedy Death Toll Rises To Eight, Seven More Bodies Recovered; One Person Still Missing
Pimpri, July 11: The death toll in the Moshi Garbage Depot tragedy has risen to eight after rescue teams recovered the bodies of seven more people trapped inside the collapsed administrative building on the fourth day of the search operation. One person remains missing, with rescue efforts continuing on a war footing.
The accident occurred at around 1.30 pm on July 8, when a massive heap of garbage collapsed onto the administrative building of the Waste-to-Energy project at the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) Moshi Garbage Depot.
A total of 23 people were trapped, including 22 inside the building and one beneath a garbage mound adjacent to the structure. Five people managed to escape safely, while rescue teams comprising the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), PCMC, PMRDA Fire Department, and Police launched a large-scale operation. On the day of the incident, nine people were rescued alive from the building.
On July 9, one trapped worker, Bhavesh Wani, was pulled out of the debris but was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
Rescue teams faced significant challenges in accessing the unstable building due to the risk of further collapse. To clear the debris surrounding the structure, authorities deployed 12 excavators, dumpers, and JCB machines. However, the severely damaged and unstable condition of the building delayed efforts to create a safe access route.
Late Friday night, two advanced demolition excavators were brought to the site. Under the technical guidance of the NDRF, the unstable concrete sections of the building were carefully dismantled, allowing rescue personnel to enter the structure safely.
During Saturday’s search operation, the bodies of Akshay Sawant (35, Moshi), Sunil Korke (40, Alandi), Sunny Mane (39, Gandharvanagari, Moshi), Mahesh Kumbhar (33, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Nagesh Gaikwad (26, Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, Moshi), Ranjit Patil (22, Moshi), and Rahul Gaikwad (35, Moshi) were recovered from the collapsed building.
All seven were shifted to YCM Hospital in Pimpri, where Medical Officer Dr. Laxman Gofane declared them dead after examination.
With these recoveries, the total number of fatalities in the tragedy has reached *leight.
Meanwhile, the search continues for the one remaining person believed to be trapped beneath the garbage mound beside the building. The NDRF has deployed its dog squad and is using advanced rescue equipment to continue the operation without interruption.
