(Manila, 11th) — The death toll has risen to four after a garbage mountain collapsed at a landfill in central Philippines, with 34 people still missing.
This accident occurred on Thursday (Jan 8) at the privately operated Binaliw landfill in Cebu City, where about 50 employees were unfortunately buried by the collapsing garbage.
Cebu assistant press officer Morata said the garbage mountain was about four stories high. Photos from the scene show a massive amount of trash sliding down and burying buildings.
The 49-year-old landfill worker Coguei, who was lucky to survive, said she had just stepped out of the building moments before when the trash pile collapsed and crushed the building. She said, “I thought it was a helicopter crash at first.”
Cebu Mayor Archival confirmed in a Facebook post on Saturday (10th) that the death toll had risen to four, and that 12 people had been rescued and hospitalized. He revealed that signs of life were detected in some areas at the site, and rescue teams were carefully digging, also deploying a more advanced 50-ton crane.
Cebu councilor Garganera said there were still 34 people missing, most of whom were buried inside the staff dormitory at the landfill.
Rescue worker Reyes said on Saturday that the garbage pile showed signs of instability and might collapse again. For safety reasons, rescue operations could only proceed intermittently.
The city government has mobilized 300 people to join the rescue efforts and set up designated areas for the families of the missing to wait for news. Lumapas, whose brother works in the landfill’s engineering department, said: “They say they heard cries for help from those trapped, so my brother might still be alive.”
Authorities have started investigating the cause of the garbage mountain collapse. Archival pointed out that preliminary assessment suggests the accident might be related to the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that shook Cebu province in September 2025, in addition to large amounts of rainwater seeping into the landfill’s underground, which weakened its foundation.
Garganera told AFP: “Landslides often happen around Cebu City when it rains... You can imagine how dangerous a landfill or mountain made up of garbage can be. Trash soaks up water like a sponge... Eventually, it leads to disaster.”
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but Garganera told local media that improper waste management may be one of the factors. He said the operator has been continuously excavating the mountain for soil and piling up garbage.
The landfill involved is operated by Prime Waste Solutions Cebu. According to the company website, they are responsible for sorting, storing, and processing 1,000 tons of municipal solid waste from Cebu City each day. In a statement on Thursday, the company said the affected landfill had suspended operations and that it was working with government agencies to provide assistance to those affected.
This accident occurred on Thursday (Jan 8) at the privately operated Binaliw landfill in Cebu City, where about 50 employees were unfortunately buried by the collapsing garbage.
Cebu assistant press officer Morata said the garbage mountain was about four stories high. Photos from the scene show a massive amount of trash sliding down and burying buildings.
The 49-year-old landfill worker Coguei, who was lucky to survive, said she had just stepped out of the building moments before when the trash pile collapsed and crushed the building. She said, “I thought it was a helicopter crash at first.”
Cebu councilor Garganera said there were still 34 people missing, most of whom were buried inside the staff dormitory at the landfill.
Rescue worker Reyes said on Saturday that the garbage pile showed signs of instability and might collapse again. For safety reasons, rescue operations could only proceed intermittently.
The city government has mobilized 300 people to join the rescue efforts and set up designated areas for the families of the missing to wait for news. Lumapas, whose brother works in the landfill’s engineering department, said: “They say they heard cries for help from those trapped, so my brother might still be alive.”
Authorities have started investigating the cause of the garbage mountain collapse. Archival pointed out that preliminary assessment suggests the accident might be related to the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that shook Cebu province in September 2025, in addition to large amounts of rainwater seeping into the landfill’s underground, which weakened its foundation.
Garganera told AFP: “Landslides often happen around Cebu City when it rains... You can imagine how dangerous a landfill or mountain made up of garbage can be. Trash soaks up water like a sponge... Eventually, it leads to disaster.”
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but Garganera told local media that improper waste management may be one of the factors. He said the operator has been continuously excavating the mountain for soil and piling up garbage.
The landfill involved is operated by Prime Waste Solutions Cebu. According to the company website, they are responsible for sorting, storing, and processing 1,000 tons of municipal solid waste from Cebu City each day. In a statement on Thursday, the company said the affected landfill had suspended operations and that it was working with government agencies to provide assistance to those affected.