Pimpri Chinchwad collapse: Building tilts, debris being cleared for safe access for rescue teams

Pune, Jul 9 (PTI) Rescue teams on Thursday evening began clearing debris around the partially collapsed building at the Moshi waste processing unit in Pimpri Chinchwad to create safe access for personnel to reach out to the remaining eight people who are still trapped under the rubble. A three-storey building located over a waste-to-energy plant at Moshi in the area collapsed after a huge mound of garbage crashed onto it on Wednesday afternoon, trapping around 18 individuals under the rubble. While seven of the victims were pulled out of the debris hours after the accident, two more persons were rescued post midnight, officials said. According to a senior NDRF official, a body was recovered in the morning. The operation, involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army, fire services of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and PMRDA, police and other agencies, shifted focus to stabilising the damaged structure before the NDRF personnel could enter the concrete, officials said. The building has tilted to one side and parts of its structure have become unstable, making direct entry by rescue personnel unsafe, they pointed out. NDRF Second-in-Command Deepak Tiwari said the immediate priority was to remove the debris surrounding the building and eliminate hazardous portions of the structure that could hamper rescue efforts. "Rescuers are finding it difficult to enter the damaged building safely. We are, therefore, clearing the debris around it and taking measures to stabilise the unsafe portions. Once a secure access route is created, our teams will enter the building in a coordinated manner to reach those trapped inside," he said. PCMC Commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi visited the site and reviewed the rescue operation with senior officials from the NDRF, Army, police and civic administration. Suryavanshi said all available resources had been deployed for the operation and that the rescue strategy had been prepared after assessing the site's condition and technical challenges. "We are closely monitoring every development at the site. Since the building has tilted and part of its structure has collapsed, the operation is being carried out with utmost caution. Once the unstable section is secured and a safe access route is created, rescue teams will enter the building to evacuate those trapped," the PCMC chief said. Moshi Pradhikaran is a planned neighbourhood in Pimpri-Chinchwad city near Pune. The building stood next to a mountain-like pile of legacy (old) waste. Prima facie, it appears that due to heavy rains, the waste mound turned loose and collapsed onto the building like a landslide, Suryavanshi had said earlier. PTI SPK BNM