Pune, 9th July 2026: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has intensified its collapsed structure search and rescue (CSSR) operation at the site of the building collapse in Moshi, Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Rescue efforts continued throughout the night under the guidance of Commandant SB Singh of the 5 Battalion NDRF and on-site supervision of Assistant Commandant Pravin Dhat.
As of Thursday morning (July 9), the NDRF, working alongside the Indian Army, fire brigade, police and local administration, had rescued nine people alive from the debris.
Officials said information from local residents suggests that a few more people may still be trapped, and rescue teams are continuing the operation using specialised rescue equipment and technical search methods.
The accident occurred around 1.45 pm on Wednesday when a three-storey building located near the waste-to-energy plant operated by Antony Lara Renewable Energy in collaboration with the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) collapsed.
According to officials, the building stood adjacent to a massive pile of legacy waste. Continuous heavy rainfall is believed to have loosened the garbage mound, causing it to slide onto the building like a landslide and bring down the structure.
Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi said the preliminary assessment indicates that rain weakened the old waste heap, which then collapsed onto the building.
Several employees of Antony Lara Renewable Energy were inside the building when the collapse occurred. According to civic officials, around 23 people were initially believed to be trapped. Five managed to escape on their own immediately after the incident, while rescue teams later pulled out additional survivors from the rubble.
Mayor Ravi Landge said around 16 office employees were inside the building during their lunch break when the slab collapsed, triggering the emergency rescue operation.
The rescue operation is being jointly carried out by the NDRF, the Indian Army, the Municipal Fire Brigade, the PMRDA Fire Brigade and the police administration. Officials said every effort is being made to locate and rescue the remaining victims at the earliest.
Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan, who visited the site, said rescuers had established contact with three people trapped beneath the debris. He said debris had pinned down their legs, making the rescue operation difficult, but all agencies were working in coordination to bring them out safely.
Authorities said the rescue operation is continuing on a war footing as specialised teams carefully remove debris to avoid further risk to those trapped. The NDRF said it remains in close coordination with the local administration and all concerned agencies to ensure a swift and effective response until every missing person is accounted for.