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

4 min readPuneUpdated: Jul 11, 2026 07:44 PM IST

Relatives of the people trapped at the site of the accident caused by the collapse of a garbage heap in Moshi, Pimpri-Chinchwad, had gathered in large numbers, due to which there was a tense atmosphere at the location. (Express Photo)

Seven bodies of employees buried under a mound of garbage after the collapse of a waste-to-energy plant building at the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) Moshi garbage depot were recovered on Saturday evening, nearly 72 hours after the incident. The search for one missing employee is still underway, officials said.

“Seven bodies have been recovered from the ground floor of the two-storey structure of the waste-to-energy plant that collapsed on Wednesday after a garbage mound gave way,” PCMC City Engineer Sanjay Kulkarni told The Indian Express.

The bodies have been sent to the PCMC-run YCM Hospital under heavy police security. “The police will first conduct the panchnama, following which postmortems will be carried out. The bodies will then be handed over to the relatives,” Kulkarni said. Security has also been stepped up at the hospital in view of the anger among family members who had gathered there and at the Moshi garbage depot.

The first body was recovered at around 2.30 pm and identified as Akshay Sawant. The second was found at 5.10 pm and identified as Sunil Korke.

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 continuing,” 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.

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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 that 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 movement of trucks and JCBs,” Kulkarni said.

However, satellite imagery reviewed by The Indian Express indicates 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.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday reviewed the incident but did not visit the mishap site, drawing criticism from relatives of the victims. He directed the administration to provide all necessary assistance to the affected families. The Municipal Commissioner informed the Chief Minister that rescue operations were expected to conclude on Friday. Fadnavis also directed officials to expedite biomining of legacy waste at the Moshi depot and establish an independent system to process the nearly 100 tonnes of waste generated daily without treatment.

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Manoj Dattatrye More is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, having been with the publication since 1992. Based in Pune, he is a veteran journalist with a 33-year career that spans editorial desk work, investigative reporting, and political analysis.

Professional Legacy

Experience: He spent his first 16 years on the editorial desk before moving into active field reporting. He has written over 20,000 stories, including more than 10,000 bylined articles.

Impact Journalism: He is widely respected for "campaign-style" reporting that leads to tangible social change.

Road Safety: His decade-long campaign regarding the dangerous state of the Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki resulted in a ₹23 crore reconstruction project in 2006, which dramatically reduced fatalities.

Environmental Protection: His reports against tree cutting on the Pune-Mumbai and Pune-Nashik highways saved approximately 2,000 trees.

Anti-Corruption: During the COVID-19 pandemic, he exposed a scam where doctors were being asked to pay bribes for government jobs, resulting in them being hired without payment.

Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)

Manoj More's recent work focuses heavily on the shifting political landscape of Maharashtra and civic governance in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area:

1. Political Shifts & Alliances

"Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): A major report on the local self-government election results, detailing the NCP’s stronghold in Baramati, Indapur, and Lonavala.

"BJP ropes in 13 ex-corporators, deals major blow to NCP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant political defection in Pimpri-Chinchwad as the BJP gears up for civic polls.

"Congress opts for solo BMC run as alliance talks with Sena (UBT) collapse" (Dec 17, 2025): Covering the breakdown of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) talks for the Mumbai civic elections.

"NCP(SP)'s Rahul Kalate, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjog Waghere set to join BJP" (Dec 19, 2025): Detailing high-profile party-hopping ahead of the municipal elections.

2. Civic & Administrative Accountability

"PCMC draws ire for issuing tenders worth Rs 250 crore just before poll code" (Dec 17, 2025): An investigative piece on the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s last-minute spending spree before election restrictions.

"93 killed in 76 accidents in five years: Bypass service roads in Pune remain undeveloped for 18 yrs" (Nov 16, 2025): A critical look at the long-delayed infrastructure projects contributing to fatalities on Pune’s bypass roads.

3. Social & Labor Issues

"As state says TCS has laid off 376 employees: FITE flags figures, say nearly 2,500 were forced to quit" (Dec 11, 2025): Investigating conflicting reports regarding IT sector layoffs in Maharashtra.

"Maharashtra govt move to 'downgrade' Aadhaar cards" (Nov 30, 2025): Reporting on the state’s decision to require additional documents alongside Aadhaar to combat identity misuse.

Signature Beat

Manoj More is the definitive voice on Pimpri-Chinchwad, an industrial hub he has covered for three decades. His reporting is characterized by its aggressive stance against local "gondaism" (thuggery) and a relentless focus on civic infrastructure—choked drains, garbage management, and public transport.

X (Twitter): @manojmore91982 ... Read More

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