5 dead, 6 injured in Maharashtra’s Bhosari as water tank collapses; PCMC says construction illegal

The incident occurred around 5.30 am when some labourers went near the tank to bathe and brush, when the tank suddenly collapsed onto them.

Police officials said the tank was constructed next to makeshift houses at a labour camp of a private construction company in Sadguru Nagar, Bhosari.

AS many as five labourers were killed and six injured when a water tank at a labour camp in Bhosari, the construction for which was completed just three days ago, fell apart in the early hours of Thursday. The Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporation said the tank was illegal and was constructed without taking permission.

Police officials said the tank was constructed next to makeshift houses at a labour camp of a private construction company in Sadguru Nagar, Bhosari. The incident occurred around 5.30 am when some labourers went near the tank to bathe and brush, when the tank suddenly collapsed onto them.

PCMC engineer Makrand Nikam said the contractor had not taken permission from PCMC before building the tank or setting up the make-shift houses nearby. ”Even otherwise, we can’t grant permission to any constructions as the entire Sadguru Nagar falls under a red zone which is a no-construction zone,” he told The Indian Express. Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh said, “Any construction in the red zone area is illegal. The water tank was built illegally.”

When asked as to why illegal constructions were even allowed to come up in red zone areas like Sadguru Nagar, the PCMC chief said, ”A decision regarding the red zone needs to be taken at political and bureaucratic level.”

Nikam said, ”We take regular action against new constructions which come up in the area. All of them are illegal. We had also warned residents about their illegal status. These constructions came up in the past few days and were on our radar.” Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissioner Vinaykumar Choubey also visited the spot along with top officials. However, he did not speak to the press.

BJP MLA Mahesh Landge said, ”PCMC should keep a strict eye on new constructions which are coming up in the area. The loss of innocent lives is painful and we must ensure such incidents are not repeated.”

Landge said Sadguru Nagar came up much before the area was declared a red zone. ”These locals have been living here 40-50 years. The area came under the red zone much later. I have been fighting to get justice for them,” he said. Chandan Paswan, one of the injured, said, ”I was on my way to the toilet when I saw the tank collapse on some labourers. My hand too is injured as a tile fell on it.”

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Paswan said he saw two-three labourers who had been hit on the head and were lying motionless with blood all over. “They seemed to have died on the spot as the tank fell apart and collapsed on them,” he said.

Santoshkumar Sahani, another labourer whose legs were injured, said, “In one moment, some of us were brushing our teeth and others were bathing to get ready for the day’s work. Then, suddenly chaos erupted. We were thrust away with force by torrents of gushing water and were violently hit by massive chunks of the tank walls. In that instant I knew that not everyone would come out alive.”

Sahani said construction of the tank was completed just three days ago. “On Wednesday, they filled the tank to half its capacity and on Thursday at 5 am they filled the tank to the brim.”

Sahani moved to Pune just 20 days ago from his native village in Mirzapur district, Uttar Pradesh, and had started work at the construction site in Sadguru Nagar. Officials said migrant labourers of the camp belong to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.

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“Initial information suggests that this labour camp is for workers on the site of the NCC construction company, and Shri Vinayak Industrial services has provided labourers for this project. It is this labour contractor who built the makeshift houses and the water tank. A probe has revealed that the labour contractor built the tank just three days ago. Despite knowing that filling up the weak structure with water would damage it, they filled the tank to its full capacity,” said Senior Inspector Vishwanath Chavan, in-charge of Bhosari police station.

“We have booked the proprietor of the labour contractor firm on charges of culpable homicide among other charges. He has been detained. We will try to ascertain who else was responsible for this incident,” Senior Inspector Chavan said.

After the incident 11 victims were rushed to hospitals in the vicinity. Three were pronounced dead on arrival and two more succumbed to their injuries during treatment. The deceased have been identified as Navin Jonna, Malla Mahakur, Sonu Kumar, Ravindra Kumar and Sudam Behra. The injured persons include Santoshkumar Sahani, Shivjatan Nishad, Munna Ramesh Chaudhary, Mohammed Salim Mangru Shaikh, Jitendrakumar Mandal and Mohammed Harun Rashid.

Sushant Kulkarni

Sushant Kulkarni is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express in Pune with 12+ years of experience covering issues related to Crime, Defence, Internal Security and Courts. He has been associated with the Indian Express since July 2010. Sushant has extensively reported on law and order issues of Pune and surrounding area, Cyber crime, narcotics trade and terrorism. His coverage in the Defence beat includes operational aspects of the three services, the defence research and development and issues related to key defence establishments. He has covered several sensitive cases in the courts at Pune. Sushant is an avid photographer, plays harmonica and loves cooking. ... Read More

Manoj Dattatrye More

Manoj Dattatrye More is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, having been with the publication since 1992. Based in Pune, he is a veteran journalist with a 33-year career that spans editorial desk work, investigative reporting, and political analysis. Professional Legacy Experience: He spent his first 16 years on the editorial desk before moving into active field reporting. He has written over 20,000 stories, including more than 10,000 bylined articles. Impact Journalism: He is widely respected for "campaign-style" reporting that leads to tangible social change. Road Safety: His decade-long campaign regarding the dangerous state of the Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki resulted in a ₹23 crore reconstruction project in 2006, which dramatically reduced fatalities. Environmental Protection: His reports against tree cutting on the Pune-Mumbai and Pune-Nashik highways saved approximately 2,000 trees. Anti-Corruption: During the COVID-19 pandemic, he exposed a scam where doctors were being asked to pay bribes for government jobs, resulting in them being hired without payment. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Manoj More's recent work focuses heavily on the shifting political landscape of Maharashtra and civic governance in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area: 1. Political Shifts & Alliances "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): A major report on the local self-government election results, detailing the NCP’s stronghold in Baramati, Indapur, and Lonavala. "BJP ropes in 13 ex-corporators, deals major blow to NCP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant political defection in Pimpri-Chinchwad as the BJP gears up for civic polls. "Congress opts for solo BMC run as alliance talks with Sena (UBT) collapse" (Dec 17, 2025): Covering the breakdown of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) talks for the Mumbai civic elections. "NCP(SP)'s Rahul Kalate, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjog Waghere set to join BJP" (Dec 19, 2025): Detailing high-profile party-hopping ahead of the municipal elections. 2. Civic & Administrative Accountability "PCMC draws ire for issuing tenders worth Rs 250 crore just before poll code" (Dec 17, 2025): An investigative piece on the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s last-minute spending spree before election restrictions. "93 killed in 76 accidents in five years: Bypass service roads in Pune remain undeveloped for 18 yrs" (Nov 16, 2025): A critical look at the long-delayed infrastructure projects contributing to fatalities on Pune’s bypass roads. 3. Social & Labor Issues "As state says TCS has laid off 376 employees: FITE flags figures, say nearly 2,500 were forced to quit" (Dec 11, 2025): Investigating conflicting reports regarding IT sector layoffs in Maharashtra. "Maharashtra govt move to 'downgrade' Aadhaar cards" (Nov 30, 2025): Reporting on the state’s decision to require additional documents alongside Aadhaar to combat identity misuse. Signature Beat Manoj More is the definitive voice on Pimpri-Chinchwad, an industrial hub he has covered for three decades. His reporting is characterized by its aggressive stance against local "gondaism" (thuggery) and a relentless focus on civic infrastructure—choked drains, garbage management, and public transport. X (Twitter): @manojmore91982 ... Read More

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