The nearly 84-hour search and rescue operation at Moshi garbage depot ended in the early hours of Sunday after rescuers recovered the body of the last missing worker from beneath a mound of garbage, taking the death toll in the tragedy to nine.
The last victim, identified as Waman Kasbe, 50, of Moshi, was found at around 1 am beneath the garbage heap adjacent to the collapsed administrative building. He was rushed to Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH) where doctors declared him dead.
With the recovery of Kasbe’s body, all 23 people who were in the administrative building of the waste-to-energy plant when a massive mound of garbage fell on it Wednesday afternoon, have now been accounted for bringing one of the longest rescue operations in Pimpri-Chinchwad’s recent history to an end.
The accident occurred at around 1.30 pm on July 8 when the mound of garbage collapsed on the three-storeyed administrative building. Five people managed to escape immediately after the incident, while rescue teams later pulled out nine survivors. Nine others lost their lives.
The operation involved personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indian Army, fire brigades of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), the police and other disaster response agencies.
Rescue teams faced significant challenges because of the unstable condition of the partially collapsed building. Officials said that the structure could have collapsed further, endangering both those trapped inside as well as the rescuers. The rescue teams first removed large volumes of garbage surrounding the building before attempting entry from multiple sides. Two advanced demolition excavators were brought in to break through the reinforced concrete roof and create safe access into the building.
The bodies of seven workers trapped inside the building were recovered between 2 pm and 10 pm on Saturday. Search operations then continued throughout the night for Kasbe, who was believed to be trapped beneath the garbage heap outside the building. NDRF dog squads were also pressed into service before his body was located at around 1 am on Sunday. With all those reported missing accounted for, the rescue operation which went on for nearly 84 hours was officially called off at around 2 am.
PCMC commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi said that the operation was among the most challenging rescue efforts undertaken by the civic administration. “The incident at the Moshi garbage depot is extremely unfortunate. It claimed nine lives and has caused immense grief. The agencies carried out rescue operations continuously for 84 hours and succeeded in bringing out nine people alive. However, the loss of nine others is heartbreaking. We pay our heartfelt tributes to the deceased and share the grief of their families,” Suryavanshi said.
Mayor Ravi Landge described the tragedy as “heart-rending and deeply painful for Pimpri-Chinchwad”. “Every possible effort was made by the NDRF, fire brigade, disaster management teams, Indian Army, police and all concerned departments to rescue every person trapped beneath the debris. They worked day and night, risking their own lives. But in the end, all efforts proved inadequate before fate. Today, not just as a mayor but as a fellow human being, I am deeply distressed. The grief suffered by the families of those who lost their lives while on duty cannot be expressed in words. We stand with them in this hour of sorrow,” Landge said.
The tragedy has raised questions over the stability of the garbage mounds and safety measures at the 81-acre Moshi garbage depot. The civic administration has said that a detailed inquiry will determine responsibility and examine whether the disaster could have been prevented.
.
