Pune: At the Moshi waster-to-energy plant, time stands still and yet rushes by. More than 56 hours after its administrative building caved in when tons of garbage slammed into it, rescue teams continued battling unstable debris, heaps of waste and toxic gases on Friday in an effort to reach the eight people still believed trapped beneath the rubble.Nine people were rescued alive on Wednesday, while five others walked to safety when the building tilted. One body, identified as Bhavish Wani, was recovered on Thursday, leaving eight persons unaccounted for.National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army, PCMC and PMRDA fire brigades continued round-the-clock operation, but were unable to make further rescues till Friday evening.The precariously tilted building is unsafe for rescuers to enter. Most of Friday’s operation focused on clearing the 70ft garbage and debris surrounding the structure and engulfing it. At work were 15 excavators, JCBs and dumper trucks creating a safe access route.“The NDRF has cleared almost all the garbage surrounding the collapsed building and is now preparing to enter through the ground floor. However, the operation remains extremely challenging because large slabs, columns and beams have blocked access,” municipal commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi told TOI.The building suffered a cantilever-type collapse with the floor slabs collapsing onto one another, making it extremely difficult to reach the pantry area where some of the persons are believed to be trapped.“The teams entered some parts, but encountered collapsed columns and beams at every step. These have to be removed carefully before they can move further,” he said.“There is no shortage of manpower or machinery. This remains an extremely critical and delicate rescue operation. Any aggressive movement could trigger another collapse, endangering those trapped and the rescue teams. The operation is progressing cautiously,” Suryawanshi said.The administrative building stood around 30 metres from the garbage mound, with an 18-metre-wide road separating the two. The road is now buried under the garbage that collapsed on the building.Rescue teams expanded the search on Friday after receiving information that an employee may have been buried under the garbage outside the collapsed structure.“We were informed that an employee stepped out for a walk after lunch when the accident happened. There is a possibility that he came under the garbage outside the building, so machinery has been deployed to search that area as well,” a rescue official said.Suryawanshi said preliminary information shows that the building was constructed as per prescribed norms. “As far as we know, the building was within the permissible limits and its construction was as per the approved standards. Once the rescue operation is over, we will examine whether the structure was properly designed and whether all prescribed safety norms were followed,” he added.He added that the civic administration and the plant operator were in constant touch with the families of those trapped and keeping them informed about the progress of the rescue.(With inputs from Mihir Tanksale and Steffy Thevar)Tough for rescuersRescuers are battling hazardous conditions created by methane and other toxic gases released from the legacy waste at the landfill. “Standing there even for 10 minutes is difficult because of the toxic gases. The rescue personnel and excavator operators have been working continuously for more than two days. This is not just a building collapse. A huge quantity of legacy waste has entered the building and is emitting methane, making the operation even more difficult,” PCMC chief Vijay Suryawanshi said.Treatment Of InjuredMedicover Hospital in Bhosari said two critically injured patients sustained multiple life-threatening injuries. One underwent emergency limb-saving surgery for a severe crush injury and later developed acute kidney injury, requiring dialysis in the ICU. The second patient underwent emergency wound debridement with vacuum-assisted closure dressing for extensive soft tissue injuries and is being evaluated by neurosurgery and spine specialists for spinal trauma. Doctors at Sainath Hospital in Moshi said another patient underwent surgery for severe foot injuries and remains stable. Two others, including one who was rescued several hours after the collapse, are under observation and recovering.Accidental deathDeputy Commissioner of police (zone-III) Maruti Jagtap said that a case of accidental death has been registered with the Bhosari MIDC police following the first death in the Moshi WTE plant accident. Investigations are on, he added. The rescue operation for at least eight trapped people is still on. The NDRF, Pimpri Chinchwad fire brigade and the army teams are involved in the operation. The Pimpri Chinchwad police are coordinating with these teams, Jagtap added.
