Distance between the office building and the garbage mound is 16-17 m according to Google Earth satellite imagery from March 2026. (Credit: Google Earth)Satellite imagery shows that the distance between a collapsed garbage mound — under which 8 people were still trapped till Friday evening — and the office of a waste to energy plant on which it fell, was around 16-17 metres, and not 30 metres as Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) officials had claimed.According to a distance measurement tool on Google Maps, the distance between the top of the building and the point where the vertical section of the garbage mound begins from was around 16.76 m before the collapse.Following incessant rains, a huge garbage mound at a Moshi landfill collapsed on the office of a three-year-old waste-to-energy plant on July 8. The plant was built and run by Antony Lara Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd for Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. The force from the mound led to a partial collapse of the office building of the company, trapping staff inside. Nine people were rescued on the first night of rescue operations, and one person was declared dead after being pulled out of the rubble the next morning. Eight more were still feared stuck inside the collapsed building as rescue operations continued for over 55 hours till Friday evening.Also Read | A Rs 7,000-crore Expressway failed its first monsoon. Here’s whySanjay Kulkarni, PCMC city engineer, said on Thus=rsday that the building was constructed 30 metres away from the garbage mound following all prescribed norms. The figure has been used by officials to claim the building was built a sufficient distance away from the landfill and appropriate safety measures had been taken. Traffic on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway’s Missing Link was disrupted after a landslide near the exit of Tunnel 2. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)When asked about the satellite image showing the garbage was just 16-17 metres away, Kulkarni said he could not comment on technical aspects while rescue operations were still underway. The tunnel portal exit on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway that faced the landslide. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)All 18 who were rescued and were still trapped were employees at the waste processing facility. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army, Pimpri Chinchwad Fire Department, PMRDA Fire Brigade, and police administration were jointly conducting rescue operations. The partially-destroyed building is at risk of a complete collapse, which could likely impede rescue operations. Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... 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