Nine fatalities in Moshi (Pune) waste plant collapse

The death toll in the Moshi garbage dump collapse in Pune's Pimpri-Chinchwad has risen to nine after rescue teams recovered the body of the last missing worker, Waman Kasbe, in the early hours of Sunday, concluding a nearly five-day search and rescue operation.

The incident occurred on July 8 when a massive mound of garbage at the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant gave way, crashing onto the facility's three-storey administrative building. Twenty-three people were trapped in the collapse. Rescue teams managed to pull 14 workers to safety, while nine lost their lives.

The operation, led by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indian Army, municipal authorities, fire services and police, was hampered by the unstable condition of the building and the large volume of debris. To remove debris in a controlled manner, heavy excavators, demolition equipment and specialized rescue machinery were deployed. The above allowed teams to safely access the trapped victims. The recovery of the final body on Sunday marked the end of the extensive rescue effort.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Antony Waste Group, which operates the waste-processing facility, expressed condolences to the families of the victims. Group President Mahendra Ananthula described the incident as an "act of God", attributing the collapse to exceptionally heavy rainfall that had destabilised the adjoining garbage mound.

The company announced that it would bear the full medical expenses of those injured and provide compensation of ₹25 lakh to the family of each deceased worker through company contributions and insurance. It also pledged to offer employment to one immediate family member of every victim and to fund the education of their minor children.