Pune: For the seven people still trapped inside the collapsed building amid tons of waste in Moshi and the scores of rescue workers trying to bring them to safety, the challenge is to keep breathing.The threat of toxic gases from the massive waste heap and the risk of the structure that has precariously tilted fracturing some more have complicated rescue efforts.The administrative block at Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant in Moshi caved in on Wednesday around 1.30pm after a colossal heap of garbage located 30 metres away fell on the structure.Rescue personnel said the unstable building, toxic gases and the possibility of another collapse made it difficult to reach those trapped beneath the debris. They have deployed external mechanical ventilation systems to pump fresh air into the building and flush out hazardous gases before entering the structure.PCMC municipal commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi said the rescue operation was extremely delicate as several people were alive inside. “It is a very complex operation. The structure has already collapsed, but people trapped inside are alive. We cannot disturb the building structure any further. Rescue teams have to carefully cut through the concrete slabs, create openings and extricate the trapped people without triggering another collapse,” he said.Suryawanshi said a large quantity of garbage entered the building. “There are poisonous gases inside because of the garbage. Fortunately, the building has several openings through which fresh air is getting in. We are also pumping fresh air into the structure to improve oxygen levels and make conditions safer for both those trapped and the rescue teams,” he said. The nature of the operation had slowed rescue efforts, he added.Four of the 20 trapped people walked out after the collapse. The first six survivors were brought to safety using a vertical rescue technique where the team cut through the second-floor concrete slab, created an opening and entered the collapsed structure to reach them. Rescue teams could communicate with some of the ten trapped victims and extricate three of them late in the night.PCMC fire officer Rishikant Chippade said the trapped victims were not visible initially. “We could only hear their voices. Using portable lights, we guided them and communicated with them to identify their exact location before pulling them out,” he added.Chippade said the challenge now is in rescuing the remaining seven victims believed to be trapped beneath concrete beams. In several locations, debris could not be removed immediately as it could destabilise the tilted structure and cause another collapse.He said the rescue teams were planning a combination of vertical and horizontal rescue techniques. After entering the building vertically, rescuers would cut horizontal access points to reach the trapped.Rescuers cannot enter several sections until the adjacent debris is removed. The falling garbage broke through the glass facade facing the site and filled large parts of the structure. The staircase is completely blocked, and there is no access to all three floors, Chippade said.“Poor visibility inside the collapsed structure, confined spaces and the inability to get a complete view of the surroundings have made it difficult to assess the stability of the debris and safely plan each step of the rescue,” he said.
