At least four dead and 34 missing after a towering trash pile collapses at a Cebu City landfill, burying dozens of sanitation workers.
CEBU CITY: Rescue teams are navigating shifting rubble in a desperate search for survivors after a mountain of garbage collapsed at a Philippine landfill.
At least four people are confirmed dead and 34 remain missing after the privately operated Binaliw Landfill in Cebu City buried dozens of sanitation workers.
The refuse toppled onto them from what a city councillor estimated was a height equivalent to 20 storeys.
Rescuers face ongoing danger as the unstable trash pile continues to move, forcing periodic pauses in operations for safety.
Cebu City council member Joel Garganera confirmed the rising death toll and the challenging conditions for rescue crews.
“It’s very difficult on the part of the rescuers, because there are really heavy pieces of steel, and every now and then, the garbage is moving because of the weight from above,” Garganera said.
He described the height of the trash pile as “alarming” and noted drivers had long complained about the dangerous access road.
The facility processes 1,000 tons of municipal solid waste daily for Cebu and surrounding communities.
Garganera called the disaster a “sad, double whammy” as the landfill is the area’s lone service provider.
At least 12 employees have been pulled alive from the debris and hospitalised so far.
Rescuer Jo Reyes said operations are continuous but are halted intermittently when the landfill shifts.
“We have to stop for a while for the safety of our rescuers,” Reyes explained.
Survivor Rita Cogay, who operates a compactor, said she was outside getting water when the building she had been in was crushed.
“I thought a helicopter had crashed. But when I turned, it was the garbage and the building coming down,” the 49-year-old said.
Family members of the missing are gathered at the property awaiting any positive news from the search.
