At least two dead as debris slide buries dozens in central Philippines

Rescuers searched Friday for dozens of people buried under a mountain of garbage that collapsed at a dump in the central Philippines, killing at least two.

About 50 sanitation workers were buried when a towering pile of garbage fell on them at the Binaliw Landfill, a private facility in Cebu City, on Thursday.

“There are signs of life,” Cebu Mayor Nestor Archival told a news conference Friday, adding that hundreds of rescuers already at the scene will be joined by “another 500” for search efforts that he expects to last until Sunday.

Rita Cogay, who operates a compressor at the scene, told AFP she had gone outside to drink water moments before the building she was in collapsed.

“I thought a helicopter had gone down. But when I turned, it was rubbish and the building coming down. I ran to save,” said the 49-year-old.

Kogai said she watched as a co-worker who was “calling for me” was freed from the wreckage.

Rescuers were limited in the equipment they could use because any sparks threatened to ignite methane gas emitting from the landfill, Archival said.

The recovery of the body of a 25-year-old engineer brought the confirmed death toll to two, the mayor said in an early afternoon post on his Facebook page, adding that 36 were still missing.

At least 12 workers have been pulled alive from the debris and treated.

Garbage mountain

Jason Morata, a public information officer for the city, told AFP that the mountain of trash “must be four stories high.”

Aerial photos released by police showed what appeared to be multiple structures crushed under the weight of the debris.

Morata said the buildings housed “company offices, HR, admin, maintenance staff” for a private company that managed the site.

“We are looking at many factors. If you remember, Cebu was hit by two typhoons in the latter part of 2025… and also by an earthquake,” he said.

Morata added that information was emerging gradually because there was “not a signal” at the dump site.

The landfill “processes 1,000 tons of municipal solid waste daily,” according to Prime Integrated Waste Solutions’ website.

Calls to the company were not returned Friday.

“We don’t know what caused the collapse. It wasn’t raining at all,” said Marge Parcotello, a civilian employee of the police department in Consolacion, a town that shares a border with the dump.

“Many of the victims are from Consolacion,” he said.

More than 200 people were killed in July 2000 when an avalanche of garbage engulfed a Manila slum inhabited by several thousand scavengers.

This tragedy, the worst of its kind in Philippine history, sparked public outrage over the open dumps. Legislation aimed at better regulating waste management was passed months later.