Hopes of finding more survivors in the catastrophic Moshi garbage depot suffered a devastating blow on Saturday after two bodies were pulled from the debris, nearly 72 hours after the tragedy hit.
The recovery briefly rekindled hope among rescue teams and anxious families, but both victims were declared dead at Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital. They were identified as Akshay Sawant, who was extricated around 2.30 pm, and Sunil Korke, who was extricated around 5:10 pm.
The operation involved cutting through collapsed concrete sections and removing massive quantities of garbage that had engulfed the administrative building of the waste-to-energy project after a portion of the towering legacy waste mound collapsed on Wednesday afternoon.
A total of 17 people, including three deceased, have now been recovered from the debris. Six others are still feared trapped beneath the unstable structure and garbage mound.
Pune civic chief says, ‘structure remains extremely unstable’
Dr Vijay Suryawanshi, Pimpri-Chinchwad civic chief while briefing about the situation said, “The condition of the damaged structure remains extremely unstable. While reaching the trapped persons at the earliest is our primary objective, structural safety cannot be compromised. All required machinery, manpower and technical support have been deployed to ensure the rescue operation proceeds without interruption.”
Critical phase
Officials said the structure has become highly unstable after a major portion of the building collapsed. The only available passage into the building remains narrow and structurally unsafe. Under the supervision of NDRF engineers, rescue teams are first dismantling dangerous portions of the damaged structure using hydraulic breakers and heavy machinery before creating a safe access route for personnel. NDRF Commandant Praveen Dhatt said, “Our priority is to carefully dismantle the dangerous section of the building and stabilise the remaining structure. Only after ensuring structural safety will our personnel be able to enter safely.”
Earlier the rain had slowed debris removal, while toxic gases emanating from the garbage mountain forced NDRF personnel to wear oxygen masks during the operation.
Families lose patience
As rescue efforts stretched beyond 72 hours, emotions ran high outside the disaster site and YCM Hospital. Over a hundred-plus relatives of the trapped workers, exhausted by days of uncertainty, surrounded senior civic officials and demanded answers over the slow progress of the operation. Security personnel later intervened to control the situation.
CM orders faster biomining
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed the administration to provide immediate assistance to the families of the deceased and those affected. He also ordered the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to accelerate the biomining of legacy waste at the Moshi garbage depot and establish an effective mechanism to process nearly 100 tonnes of waste that accumulates daily.
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