NDRF resumes search for workers trapped in under-construction well in Pune’s Indapur

“The operation resumed Thursday morning. We are currently pumping out the water accumulated inside the well, on one side of the dug up area. After this we will be moving to the remaining mound of soil and concrete,” said a senior NDRF official.

The NDRF officials said on Wednesday night there was no possibility of survivors among those trapped. They said that the excavation of the soil with earthmovers was a high risk operation considering the loosened mass of soil due to the rain.

Pune Rural Police have identified the four labourers as Somnath Laxman Gaikwad (34), Javed Akbar Mulani (34), Parshuram Bansilal Chavan (30) and Manoj Maruti Sawant (50).

Officials said that the incident took place sometime before 6 pm on Tuesday but came to light only around 8.30 pm on the same night when the family members of the four labourers and other villagers came searching for them.

Based on the request from the State Disaster Management Authority and Pune District Disaster Management Officer, an NDRF team launched a search operation around 6 am on Wednesday and the operation was called off around 7 pm.