Pune Moshi WTE Plant Tragedy: Last Missing Man Found After 84 Hours, Death Toll Rises to 9

Moshi, 12th July 2026: The over 84-hour-long search and rescue operation at the collapsed administrative building of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant in Moshi concluded around 1.30 am on Sunday after rescue teams recovered the body of the last missing person, Waman Kasbe, from beneath a massive garbage mound. With the recovery of Kasbe’s body, the death toll in the tragedy has risen to nine.

Kasbe was found nearly 84 hours after the three-storey administrative building collapsed around 1.30 pm on Wednesday when a large heap of garbage, destabilised by heavy rainfall, slid onto the structure. According to officials, 23 people were initially caught in the incident. Five employees on the second floor were flung clear as the building tilted before collapsing, while nine others were rescued alive during the initial rescue efforts.

The operation, involving personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indian Army, the PCMC and PMRDA fire departments, continued round the clock for nearly four days amid unstable debris and a towering garbage mound.

Rescue teams recovered one body on Thursday, followed by seven more on Saturday. Kasbe’s body was the last to be recovered early Sunday, bringing the operation to a close.

Officials said Kasbe had stepped out for a walk after lunch when the garbage heap gave way and engulfed him. He was the only victim trapped outside the administrative building, while the remaining eight victims were buried under the collapsed structure. Rescue teams initially concentrated on the building debris and began clearing the garbage mound only on Thursday after employees informed them that a person was also suspected to be trapped outside the building.

The recovery of Kasbe’s body marked the end of one of the longest rescue operations undertaken in recent years in the Pimpri Chinchwad area.