Three more people were rescued alive from the debris of the collapsed administrative building at the Moshi garbage depot in the early hours of Thursday, taking the total number of survivors pulled out of the wreckage to 14, officials said, as rescue teams continued searching for others feared trapped.
The three survivors were extricated by around 2.30am on Thursday after remaining trapped for nearly 13 hours. Officials said all three were rescued alive and shifted to hospital for medical examination and treatment.
The rescue operation is being carried out jointly by the Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Border Security Force (BSF), the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) Fire Brigade and the police.
Rushikant Chipade, head of the PCMC Fire Brigade, said rescue teams worked through the night to reach those trapped beneath the debris.
“Three more people were rescued alive by 2.30am, taking the total number of people rescued to 14. The operation is continuing as more people are suspected to be trapped beneath the collapsed structure and the garbage mound,” Chipade said.
The incident occurred at around 1.30pm on Wednesday when a massive mound of garbage slid onto the three-storey administrative building at the waste-to-energy plant. Most employees were having lunch in the first-floor canteen when the structure was hit.
The ground-plus-two-storey building houses the administrative office of the waste-to-energy plant operated by Antony Lara Renewable Energy Ltd under an agreement with the PCMC. The building has basement parking, a canteen on the first floor, and administrative offices and meeting rooms on the second floor.
According to civic officials, around 16-17 employees were inside the first-floor canteen when the garbage mound crashed onto the building. Four employees working on the second floor managed to escape immediately, while those in the canteen were trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
Officials said eight to nine employees could still be trapped beneath the damaged building and the massive heap of garbage, though the exact number of missing persons is yet to be confirmed.
Rescue teams continued combing through the unstable structure and the garbage mound on Thursday morning. Officials said the operation remained challenging because of the risk of further collapse and the presence of garbage, debris and toxic gases at the site.
Heavy machinery was being used with caution while rescue personnel continued searching for survivors in areas where people were believed to be trapped.
