16 Feared Trapped After Waste Mound Collapses on Building in Pune

Pune: At least 16 people are feared trapped after a massive mound of waste collapsed onto a three-storey building in Maharashtra's Pune on Wednesday, triggering a major rescue operation.

The incident took place at Moshi in Pimpri Chinchwad following heavy rainfall. According to officials, the building functioned as the administrative office of a private company engaged by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to process waste at the site.

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi said preliminary findings suggest that continuous heavy rain loosened the enormous waste heap, causing it to give way and crash onto the building, leading to its collapse.

Authorities believe around 16 employees of the private company were inside the office when the structure came down.

Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the fire brigade and emergency medical services were rushed to the scene. Search and rescue operations are continuing as officials work to locate and extricate those feared trapped beneath the debris.

Further details on casualties or survivors were not immediately available. Officials said the cause of the collapse would be investigated after rescue efforts are completed.