Nine Still Trapped After Garbage Pile Triggers Pune Building Collapse

Rescue teams are working to establish contact with nine people still trapped under debris after a three-storey building collapsed in the Moshi Pradhikaran area on Wednesday afternoon. Officials said the structure came down after a massive pile of garbage located next to the building disintegrated amid heavy rainfall and crashed into it, triggering a large-scale rescue operation involving several agencies.

There were 23 people inside the building at the time of the collapse. Five people managed to escape from the damaged structure on their own, while nine others were pulled out from beneath the debris by 8 pm. The rescued individuals were shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment, while efforts continued to locate and reach the nine people who remained trapped.

Officials said some of those trapped were employees of a renewable energy company that works with the district administration to operate a 14MW power plant in the region. The company was reportedly using the collapsed building as an administrative office. Authorities have deployed local police and fire services, the Army and the National Disaster Response Force as part of the ongoing rescue operation.

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Deputy Commissioner of Police Ganesh Ingale said specialised equipment was being used to locate survivors beneath the debris. Rescue teams have deployed cameras mounted on flexible fibre-optic cables that can be inserted through narrow gaps, along with listening devices capable of detecting sounds such as tapping or scratching. Heavy machinery, including earth movers, and medical teams have also been positioned at the site.

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryawanshi and Police Commissioner Vinaykumar Choubey are monitoring the rescue efforts. Maharashtra Water Resources and Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan also visited the site to review the situation. Authorities are continuing operations carefully as they attempt to clear debris without endangering those who may still be trapped underneath.

The collapse comes as relentless monsoon rain continues to affect several parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Pune, Nashik and the wider Konkan region. Heavy rainfall has caused waterlogging, landslides, transport disruptions and multiple accidents. A landslide also temporarily closed the newly inaugurated “missing link” section of the Pune-Mumbai Expressway before debris was cleared and the route reopened, with motorists advised to remain cautious.

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