16 feared trapped after building collapses in Pune amid heavy rain

A major rescue operation is underway in Maharashtra's Pune district after an administrative building in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area collapsed on Wednesday, leaving at least 16 people feared trapped beneath the debris. The incident occurred near the sanitary landfill (SLF) at Moshi, where days of relentless monsoon rain reportedly destabilised a massive mound of legacy waste that crashed onto the building. Fire brigade personnel, disaster response teams and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) units have been deployed as efforts continue to rescue those still inside.

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) Commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi said preliminary findings indicate that the collapse was caused by heavy rainfall loosening a large mound of accumulated legacy waste.

“Prima facie, it appears that due to heavy rains, the waste mound became loose and collapsed on top of the building,” he explained.