Pune, July 12 (HS): The death toll in the collapse of an administrative building at the Moshi Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant near Pune rose to nine on Sunday after rescue teams recovered the body of the last missing person from the debris, officials said.
The body of Waman Kasbe, the last person reported missing since the July 8 incident, was recovered in the early hours of Sunday, following which the search and rescue operation was called off.
The three-storey administrative building of the waste-processing unit, operated by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, collapsed after a massive garbage mound adjacent to the structure gave way like a landslide following heavy rainfall.
Officials said 14 people were rescued during the operation.
Meanwhile, Mahendra Ananthula, Group President of Antony Waste Group, expressed grief over the loss of lives while meeting the families of the victims. Describing the incident as an act of God, he said the unprecedented rainfall over the past few days had triggered the tragedy.
The company announced that it would bear the entire medical expenses of the injured. It also announced a compensation of ₹25 lakh for the family of each deceased employee through the company's contribution and insurance cover.
In addition, one eligible family member of each deceased victim will be offered employment, while the education expenses of their minor children will also be borne by the company.
The cause of the collapse is under investigation.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar
