Moshi building collapse: Death toll reaches 9 as rescue teams recover victim’s body from rubble

Pune : The death toll in the building collapse incident in Pimpri-Chinchwad of Pune district rose to nine on Sunday after another body trapped inside the collapsed administrative building of the Waste-to-Energy project was recovered during the fifth day of the search and rescue operation.
The victim has been identified as Vaman Kasbe. According to officials, his body was extricated from beneath the heap of rubble at approximately 1:00 AM.
Following the recovery, Kasbe was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
The incident occurred on July 8 at around 1:30 pm when a massive heap of garbage collapsed onto the administrative building at the Moshi landfill site.
According to an official statement released by the PRO of PCMC, a total of 23 people were trapped in the incident, including 22 inside the building and one beneath the adjacent garbage mound. Five people managed to escape safely from the building, while rescue teams evacuated nine others alive on the day of the incident.
The rescue operation has been carried out jointly by the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, PMRDA Fire Department and the police.
On July 9, one more trapped person, identified as Bhavesh Wani, was rescued from the building and shifted to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Authorities said rescuers faced significant challenges in accessing the unstable and heavily damaged structure. To clear debris around the building, 12 excavators, dumpers and JCB machines were deployed. However, the damaged structure remained unsafe, delaying entry into the building.
Later on Friday night, two advanced demolition excavators were brought to the site. Under the technical guidance of the NDRF, the unstable concrete sections of the building were carefully dismantled, enabling rescue teams to enter the structure.
During Saturday’s search operation, the bodies of Akshay Sawant (35), Sunil Korke (40), Sunny Mane (39), Mahesh Kumbhar (33), Nagesh Gaikwad (26), Ranjit Patil (22) and Rahul Gaikwad (35) were recovered from inside the building.
All seven were rushed to YCM Hospital in Pimpri, where Medical Officer Dr Laxman Gofane declared them dead.