PCMC Special Officer Kiran Gaikwad confirmed that the rescue operation has officially concluded. “The police have conducted the inquest, and post-mortems were performed by doctors at YCM Hospital. All bodies have been handed over to their respective families,” Gaikwad said.

The accident occurred on July 8 when a massive mound of garbage located across the street destabilised and collapsed directly onto the building. A total of 23 employees of Anthony Lara Renewable Energy Limited, a private firm contracted by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), were inside the building at the time of the collapse.

Immediately after the accident on July 8, five employees on the first floor managed to escape. Hours later, a joint operation by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the PCMC fire brigade, and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) successfully rescued nine trapped workers.

The first fatality, identified as Bhavesh Wani, was pulled from the debris on Thursday. However, rescue teams hit a roadblock, failing to locate the remaining eight people over the next two days.

Facing criticism from distraught relatives and local activists over the delay, the PCMC intensified its operations on a war footing to gain access into the structure. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also intervened, asking the PCMC administration to expedite the recovery efforts.

To create a safe pathway through the unstable debris, emergency services deployed 12 Poclain machines, dumpers, and JCB excavators. Because the remaining concrete frame of the building was highly unstable, the PCMC utilised two state-of-the-art demolition excavator machines to conduct controlled dismantling of hazardous concrete sections under the technical supervision of the NDRF.

Recovery of seven bodies on Saturday

On Saturday, rescuers recovered the bodies of Akshay Sawant, 35, Sunil Korke, 40, Sunny Mane, 39, Mahesh Kumbhar, 33, Nagesh Gaikwad, 26, Ranjeet Patil, 22, and Rahul Gaikwad, 35.

Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar visited the disaster site on Saturday and promised administrative accountability. “Those guilty will not be spared. We will take stern action in this matter,” she said.

Pimpri-Chinchwad Mayor Ravi Landge announced that the PCMC will provide ex gratia financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the families of each victim. Also, the private contracting firm, Anthony Lara Renewable Energy Limited, will provide Rs 25 lakh in compensation to each family and cover the educational expenses of the victims’ children.