Rescue efforts at a collapsed Philippine landfill shift to recovery as the death toll reaches seven, with 29 still missing after a mountain of trash fell
CEBU: Hopes of finding survivors are fading days after a massive mountain of trash collapsed at a landfill in the central Philippines.
The recovery of another body on Sunday brought the confirmed death toll to seven, with at least 29 people still missing.
About 50 sanitation workers were buried on Thursday when the garbage pile toppled from an estimated height of 20 storeys at the privately operated Binaliw Landfill.
Local fire officer Wendell Villanueva said specialised radar had detected two signs of life 30 metres below the debris on Saturday.
“There were still heartbeats 30 metres below the debris, but right now, there are no reports of that anymore,” Villanueva told AFP.
He said it was unlikely “for people to still be alive” three days after “tons of debris and trash had collapsed over them”.
So far, 12 employees have been pulled alive from the garbage and hospitalised.
Rescue workers have faced the danger of further collapse from the still-shifting mountain of refuse, forcing pauses in their efforts.
Rain has only increased that danger, according to Villanueva.
The focus is expected to turn from rescue to recovery on Monday, though the final decision rests with an inter-agency team.
A public information officer separately confirmed the likely shift towards recovering bodies.
Dozens of family members huddled under tents outside the disaster site, watching the rescue efforts.
“What we want now is to find them. Alive or dead — so we can properly take care of them,” said Jezille Matabid, whose brother is among the missing.
Another woman, who declined to be named, said the wait for news about her missing, pregnant sister was agonising.
“We feel like we’re going crazy here just waiting for an update,” she said.
Cebu City council member Joel Garganera described the height from which the trash fell as “alarming”.
He said a “landfill or a mountain that is made of garbage” posed a particular danger as it absorbs water like a sponge.
“The garbage is like a sponge, it really absorbs water. It doesn’t (take) a rocket scientist to say that eventually, the incident will happen.”
Cebu Mayor Nestor Archival pointed to a recent earthquake and typhoon-driven rains as potential factors.
The Binaliw Landfill is the lone service provider for Cebu City and adjacent communities, processing 1,000 tons of municipal solid waste daily.
Calls to the landfill’s operator, Prime Integrated Waste Solutions, went unanswered on Sunday.
