Workers in a rescue operation at the collapsed landfill in Binaliw, Cebu, in the central Philippines on Jan 10. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
ISTANBUL (Bernama-Anadolu): The death toll from Thursday’s collapse of a landfill site in the Philippines rose to four on Saturday, as authorities continued search efforts for dozens of trapped workers, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
The private landfill facility collapsed at around 4.17 pm local time (0817 GMT) in Cebu City, in the Central Visayas region, on Thursday.
As of the latest data, 12 people have been taken to the hospital, while four fatalities have been confirmed, with operations underway for more than 30 others missing, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said on the US social media platform Facebook.
"Authorities confirmed the presence of detected signs of life in specific areas, requiring continued careful excavation and the deployment of a more advanced 50-tonne crane,” he said.
On Friday, the mayor said the incident occurred at the Binaliw Landfill and involved 110 employees.
Rescuers were facing the danger of further collapse as they navigated the wreckage, Cebu rescuer Jo Reyes told AFP on Jan 10.
“Operations are ongoing at the moment. It is continuous. (But) from time to time, the landfill is moving, and that will temporarily stop the operation,” she said.
Cebu City councillor Dave Tumulak, chairman of the city’s disaster council, told AFP another two bodies had been uncovered on Jan 10 by crews working in 24-hour shifts.
Separately, the Filipino Quiapo Church administration said on Saturday that four people lost their lives during an annual mass procession for the religious festival, the Feast of the Black Nazarene, according to GMA News Online.
Church officials also said a photojournalist who passed away on Friday while covering the procession was not considered a casualty of the religious activity.
More than 1,050 medical cases were also recorded during the event. -- Bernama-Anadolu
