11 July,2026 10:58 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondent
NDRF personnel at the Moshi site in Pune district on Saturday. PIC/PTI
The death toll in the collapse of the administrative building at the Moshi waste processing unit near Pune has risen to eight, while 14 people have been rescued, news agency PTI reported. One person remains missing, and rescue operations are continuing, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi said on Saturday evening.
According to officials, an estimated 23 people were trapped when the incident occurred on Wednesday.
The three-storey administrative building of the waste-to-energy (WTE) plant, operated by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), collapsed after a massive mound of legacy waste caved in and crashed onto the structure like a landslide.
Rescue operations are being carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army, and other agencies, with around 15 excavators, including specialised demolition machines, deployed at the site.
PCMC identified six of the victims as Akshay Sawant (35) of Moshi, Sunil Korke (40) of Alandi, Sunny Mane (39) of Gandharvanagari in Moshi, Mahesh Kumbhar (33) of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagesh Gaikwad (26) of Sanjay Gandhi Nagar in Moshi, and Ranjit Patil (22) of Moshi. All of them were shifted to Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital, where Medical Officer Dr Laxman Gofane declared them dead after examination. The identities of the remaining two victims are yet to be confirmed by the authorities.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar visited the accident site on Saturday to review the ongoing rescue operation.
She said heavy rainfall and toxic gases emanating from the garbage heap had made the rescue efforts particularly challenging.
"An inquiry into the unfortunate incident is in progress. Appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation," Pawar told reporters.
She added that financial assistance was being provided to the affected families by the state government and the PCMC.
"Financial aid is being provided by the government and the municipal corporation," she said.
On Friday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reviewed the situation following the building collapse at the Moshi waste processing unit during a meeting with Pimpri-Chinchwad administration officials in Pune.
He was briefed by senior officials on the sequence of events and the ongoing rescue operation.
Fadnavis directed the administration to provide all necessary assistance to the families of those who lost their lives in the incident.
He also instructed officials to expedite the biomining of legacy waste at the Moshi site and put in place a separate mechanism for the immediate processing of nearly 100 tonnes of fresh waste generated daily to prevent further accumulation.
Meanwhile, the impact of the collapse has begun to affect Pimpri-Chinchwad's solid waste management system, with routine waste collection and disposal operations facing severe disruption.
Following the collapse of a massive mound of legacy waste onto the administrative building of the waste-to-energy plant, routine operations at the depot have been significantly affected as rescue efforts continue.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI and Archana Dahiwal)
