Pune building collapse: Seven bodies recovered after 72-hour search, one still missing

An ambulance taking a body to YCM hospital. (Express Photo)

Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar visited the accident site on Saturday afternoon and said a probe will be conducted into the incident and those found guilty will be punished.

“An impartial inquiry will be conducted into the building collapse incident. As per the investigation report, whoever is found responsible will face strict action according to the rules. Additionally, to provide immediate relief to the affected families, financial assistance is being made available from all three levels — the company concerned, the Government of Maharashtra, and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.”

Political parties, like NCP (SP), NCP, the Congress and activists demanded an FIR against officials and contractors, alleging negligence on their part in ensuring safety of the employees.

Pawar said obstacles in rescue work were created by toxic gases emanating from the waste pile and the complex structure of the debris. “However, with the help of state-of-the-art machinery and trained teams, search and rescue operations are being conducted on a war footing. Clear instructions have been given to the administration that the bodies recovered from the incident site must be shown to their relatives with due respect,” she said.

Rescue work being done. (Express Photo)

Security was stepped up at YCM Hospital given the anger among relatives who had been camping at the Moshi garbage depot since the day of mishap and then moved to the hospital premises.

Of the seven bodies recovered on Saturday, the first was found around 2.30 pm and identified as Akshay Sawant. The second was recovered at 5.10 pm and identified as Sunil Korke. Subsequently, four more bodies were recovered. The seventh body was recovered late in the evening.

Kulkarni said all seven bodies were found in a small area on the ground floor. “The eighth missing person was apparently outside the building. He is believed to be the watchman, and the search for him is underway,” he added.

When the incident occurred on Wednesday, 23 employees were inside the waste-to-energy plant. Five workers on the first floor managed to escape on their own, while nine others were rescued by teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Fire Brigade. One body was recovered on Thursday, while search operations for the remaining eight continued over the next two days.

According to PCMC officials at the site, rescuers initially avoided using heavy machinery such as poclain excavators to remove debris as they hoped more people could be found alive. “The NDRF was extremely cautious because using heavy equipment could have endangered survivors. Today, however, heavy machinery was deployed, which helped recover the seven bodies,” an official said.

Kulkarni said the garbage mound contained around 15 lakh tonnes of legacy waste spread over 10 acres. “The mound had been capped to prevent it from slipping. However, nearly five lakh tonnes of garbage loosened due to heavy rain and slid onto the waste-to-energy plant,” he said.

The PCMC administration denied allegations the plant had been built too close to the garbage mound in violation of safety norms. “There was a distance of 100 feet (around 30 metres) between the mound and the plant. An 18-metre road separated them, with four-metre-wide margins on either side. The mound had been capped with soil and had proper slopes, allowing the movement of trucks and JCBs,” Kulkarni said.

However, satellite imagery reviewed by The Indian Express indicated that the distance between the collapsed garbage mound and the waste-to-energy plant building was around 16-17 metres, significantly less than the 30 metres claimed by the civic administration.

The PCMC also denied the building permission was not sanctioned. “The building permission was sanctioned in 2019,” Kulkarni said. However, activist Manav Kamble alleged that the building had not been given the completion certificate.

After proceeding cautiously for the last two days and coming under fire from relatives on their loved ones being located, PCMC officials decided to change their strategy after discussion with other agencies, including the NDRF. They decided to bring in heavy-duty machinery to break down the concrete structure and create a safe passage to reach missing persons.

Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi, who was camping at the mishap site since Friday, said, “A state-of-the-art demolition excavator machine was brought to the site to break down the concrete sections of the collapsed building. The machine was used to stabilise the unstable parts of the building and to create a path for safe entry into the structure; the operation was carried out continuously at a rapid pace.”

Officials said the change in strategy worked as by Saturday, rescuers manager to pull out the first body at 2.30 pm and by 6.30 pm, seven bodies had been recovered.

NDRF Commandant Pravin Dhat said, “Our priority was to remove the dangerous parts of the building in a controlled manner to make the structure as stable as possible. This was done to provide the necessary path for our personnel to enter safely. We proceeded with extreme caution and planning at every stage without taking any risks in the rescue operation.”