Desperate search for Philippines landfill workers buried alive in garbage

A landfill collapse in the central Philippines killed four people and left dozens missing, prompting an urgent search and rescue operation.

The incident occurred at the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City, with 110 workers on site at the time. Several structures and facilities inside the landfill were damaged during the collapse. Many of the missing were believed to be landfill workers.

Thirty-six people were missing based on a Friday tally. An update on the number of missing was not immediately available. Search efforts are continuing, although conditions on the ground are reportedly unstable.

Some 300 responders from government agencies and civil groups are engaged in rescue work at the privately run landfill, aided by excavators and fire trucks, local media reported.

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“All response teams remain fully engaged in search and retrieval efforts to locate the remaining missing persons with strict adherence to safety protocols,” Cebu city mayor Nestor Archival said.

City councillor Joel Garganera said the collapse could be linked to unsafe waste management practices. He said operators had been cutting into the garbage pile, reshaping it over time. They had also been mining the soil and then piling garbage to form another mountain of waste, Mr Garganera told local newspaper The Freeman.

“It’s not a sanitary landfill. It’s already an open dumpsite. The steel trusses are massive, the garbage is soft, and there is a constant risk of movement,” he said.

“There is also a serious concern about toxic air, which could endanger anyone trapped for too long.”

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Joey Boy Gealon, a landfill worker, told the Cebu Daily News the collapse happened without warning. He said workers had raised concerns for years about how high the rubbish had been piling up.

Jaylord Antigua, an office worker at the landfill, told the Associated Press the collapse of the garbage mountain unfolded rapidly, even in good weather.

The surge of rubbish crushed his office but he managed to crawl out from beneath the debris, suffering bruises to his face and arms.

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“I saw a light and crawled toward it in a hurry because I feared there would be more landslides,” he said. “It was traumatic. I feared that it was my end so this is my second life.”

Prime Waste Solutions Cebu, which operates the facility, said in a statement that the “safety and well-being of our employees, contractors, and neighbouring communities remain our top priority”.

Landfills are widely used in major Philippine cities, including Cebu, a key commercial and transport hub in the Visayas. The Binaliw landfill is spread over 10 hectares.

The cause of the collapse is yet to be confirmed, even as investigations continue.