At Least Four Dead as Garbage Landslide Buries Workers in Cebu Landfill

Rescue teams continued searching through rubble on Saturday after a massive landslide of refuse at a landfill in Cebu City, central Philippines, killed at least four workers and left dozens missing. Hard hat-wearing rescuers and backhoes navigated unstable piles of garbage in hopes of finding survivors.

The disaster struck Thursday at the privately operated Binaliw Landfill, where city council member Joel Garganera estimated the top of the garbage mound had reached the height of 20 stories. About 50 sanitation workers were buried when the enormous pile collapsed, crushing staff houses and administrative structures within the facility.

As of Saturday morning, 12 employees had been rescued and hospitalized, while 34 remained missing. Garganera said the situation was made more dangerous by heavy steel and debris within the landfill, as well as the constant risk of further collapse.

“Operations are ongoing as of the moment. It is continuous. But from time to time, the landfill is moving, and that will temporarily stop the operation,” Cebu rescuer Jo Reyes told AFP. “We have to stop for a while for the safety of our rescuers.”

Garganera described the scene as perilous. “Every now and then when it rains, there are landslides happening around the city of Cebu. How much more dangerous is that for a landfill or a mountain made of garbage?” he said. He added that drivers had long warned about the hazards of navigating the steep roads leading to the top of the dump.

The disaster has also caused delays in communication, as the landfill’s location and lack of signal have made it difficult for officials to receive updates. Family members of the missing have gathered on-site, anxiously awaiting news of loved ones. “We cannot just jump to the retrieval of bodies, because there are a lot of family members within the property waiting for any positive result,” Garganera said.

Rita Cogay, a compactor operator at the facility, described the moment of the collapse. “I thought a helicopter had crashed. But when I turned, it was the garbage and the building coming down,” the 49-year-old told AFP.

Binaliw Landfill processes around 1,000 tons of municipal solid waste daily, serving Cebu and surrounding communities, according to its operator, Prime Integrated Waste Solutions. Police photographs released Friday show a massive mound of trash atop a hill, with buildings partially buried underneath.

Garganera called the disaster a “sad, double whammy” for the city, given that the facility is the sole waste service provider for the area. Authorities warned of the ongoing dangers at the site and urged caution as rescue operations continued, with hopes for more survivors.