Garbage Mound Collapses at Philippine Landfill, One Dead, 38 Missing

Manila: A massive mound of garbage collapsed at a landfill in the Philippines, burying and trapping dozens of people, killing one person and leaving 38 others missing, officials said on Friday.

The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon at a landfill in the village of Binaliw in Cebu City, when a huge pile of garbage, soil and debris gave way and swept through low-lying structures at the site. Landfill workers were among those affected, though it remains unclear whether nearby residents were also caught in the collapse.

Rescue teams worked through the night and managed to pull out 13 people alive. However, a woman who was rescued from the debris later died while being taken to hospital, regional police director Brigadier General Roderick Maranan said. At least 12 others were injured and are undergoing treatment.

Search and rescue operations were continuing on Friday for the 38 people still believed to be trapped under the debris, Cebu Mayor Nestor Archival and the Office of Civil Defense said.

Authorities said one of the structures hit was a warehouse where workers sort recyclable materials. Heavy machinery was deployed as rescuers searched through twisted metal sheets, collapsed roofs and heaps of garbage. Relatives of the missing gathered at the site, anxiously watching rescue efforts. Some broke down in tears and pleaded with teams to speed up the search.

“All response teams remain fully engaged in search and retrieval operations, strictly following safety protocols,” Mayor Archival said in a statement, adding that the city administration was providing assistance to affected families. Officials at the landfill, which employs around 110 workers, were scheduled to hold an emergency meeting to assess the situation.

Open dumpsites and landfills have long posed serious safety and health risks in many parts of the Philippines, particularly in areas close to poor communities where people often scavenge for recyclable materials and leftover food.

The tragedy recalled a deadly incident in July 2000, when a huge garbage mound collapsed at a dumpsite in Quezon City near Manila after days of heavy rain, killing more than 200 people and prompting stricter laws on waste management and the closure of illegal dumpsites.