Pune building collapse: At least 15 trapped after waste mound crashes into PCMC plant

At least 15-16 workers are trapped under the rubble of a three-storey administrative building of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's (PCMC) Waste-to-Energy plant in Moshi, Pune, after it collapsed due to heavy rain on Wednesday afternoon. The collapse occurred at around 1:45 pm in local time, and the exact cause is yet to be ascertained. However, officials suggest that after a heavy rain, the pile of legacy garbage from the nearby Moshi garbage depot slid and crushed into the building, resulting in its collapse.

"Prima facie, it appears that due to heavy rains, the waste mound became loose and collapsed on top of the building," said Vijay Suryawanshi, Municipal Corporation Commissioner in Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Rescue teams, including fire brigade personnel and disaster response units, have rushed to the location and initiated an operation to search for those who are believed to be trapped under the debris. Authorities are yet to confirm the exact number of casualties or injuries, and further details are awaited as the rescue operation progresses.

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Incessant monsoon rainfall has triggered widespread flooding, waterlogging and structural damage across several districts. Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad have witnessed the evacuation of more than 6,000 residents from flood-hit localities. Schools and colleges remain shut as the Indian Meteorological Department has issued an Orange Alert due to continued heavy rainfall. The district has witnessed more than the monthly average rainfall in its first week. This incident comes as a three-storey residential structure collapsed in Mumbai's Mankhurd area during heavy rain, killing six, among whom there were five children. While parts of the Mumbai-Pune expressway and the old Mumbai-Pune highway have been disrupted. A major landslide near Tunnel 2 of the newly opened Mumbai-Pune Expressway's ‘missing link’ has also halted the commute.