Pune wall collapse: Mortal remains of labourers sent to Bihar in special IAF flight

The bodies were dispatched from Pune at 8.45 am in the aircraft to Patna in Bihar and Bagdogra in West Bengal, they were then sent to their respective hometowns in Chhapra, Vaishali and Kathihar districts.

On Saturday morning, Fifteen people, including four children, were killed when the wall of a housing society collapsed on the temporary housing sheds built at the neighbouring under construction plot, crushing the tin sheds and its occupants.

Pune wall collapse: The incident occurred at around 1 am on Saturday.

A criminal case has been registered against the builders, site engineers, supervisors and labour contractors of both the companies. They have been booked under Section 304 of the IPC(culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

READ | 15 killed in Pune wall collapse: ‘Wanted to shout, couldn’t find voice’

The FIR names Jagdish Prasad Agarwal, Sachin Agarwal, Rajesh Agarwal, Vivek Agarwal and Sunil Agarwal (all partners in Alcon Landmark Group) and Pankaj Vhora, Suresh Shah, Rashmikant Gandhi of the SVG Kanchan Group.

Initially the plan was to send the bodies via commercial flights and arrangements were made for the same, however, after the Air Force agreed to provide a special aircraft to ferry the bodies, the other plan was disbanded, Ram told.

Pune: Rescue team at the site where a portion of the compound wall of a housing society collapsed on shanties adjacent to it in Kondhwa area, in Pune, Saturday, June 29, 2019. (PTI Photo)

“I was in contact with the defence authorities for an Air Force aircraft to transport the bodies Saturday morning itself, however, as there was a degree of uncertainty we had also made arrangements to send the remains through civil commercial flights. Tickets had been booked in one Air India and three Indigo flights,” he said.

ALSO READ | Society residents wrote to builder in Feb: ‘wall dangerously exposed’

“Private flights only carry one or two dead bodies per flight. As per that plan, we would have to send a few bodies on Monday morning. This would require additional co-ordination at Bihar end,” he added.

Officials said that the flight first topped at Patna airport where three dead bodies were deboarded to be sent to villages in Chhapra and Vaishali districts. Later, the aircraft stopped at Bagdogra airport in West Bengal from where the remaining 12 were sent to Katihar district in Bihar.

“Three people-including one survivor Bimal Sharma–have been sent along with the dead bodies. Two injured are presently undergoing treatment at the Sassoon Hospital. We are monitoring their health and they will be sent back home once they feel up to it,” Ram said.