The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Friday recovered the bodies of four workers trapped under a mass of soil and concrete that caved in during the construction of a well in Indapur tehsil of Pune district on August 1, a police official said.
Three bodies were retrieved from the well this afternoon and while the fourth body was retrieved later in the day, he said.
Over the course of 48 hours, dedicated NDRF teams, in coordination with the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and Pune District Disaster Management Officer, tirelessly worked to locate the trapped individuals. On Friday, their efforts brought tragic results, as three bodies were recovered, revealing the grim aftermath of the disaster. The rescue operation was suspended on Wednesday evening, as the site contained a substantial amount of debris, and the soil surrounding the well was also loose.
Situated approximately 120 km away from Pune city, Mhasobawadi village bore witness to the tragic collapse of the well's inner wall, catching the four laborers off guard and trapping them under a mound of soil and concrete. The NDRF's specialized assistance was crucial in launching the search operation swiftly. However, the recovery process proved challenging due to hazardous conditions caused by recent rains that loosened the soil.
"Four bodies were recovered from the well by the NDRF personnel and the search operation has been stopped," assistant inspector Dilip Pawar of Bhigwan police station said.
The incident occurred at Mhasobachi Wadi village in Indapur tehsil on Tuesday evening.
The well is 100 feet deep with a diameter of 120 feet, officials said, adding that the site was earlier used for quarrying.
During the construction of the well, the inner concrete wall sank, and those working at the edge of the concrete wall fell down and got trapped under the debris, they said.
