FILE PHOTO: A woman cries while rescue workers conduct a rescue operation at the collapsed landfill in Binaliw, Cebu, Philippines, January 11, 2026. - Reuters
MANILA: The death toll from a landfill landslide in the central Philippines rose to 22 a week after the accident, local officials said on Thursday (Jan 15).
Eighteen victims are still being treated in hospital for various injuries, while 14 remain missing, said Dave Tumulak, who heads the disaster risk reduction and management office in Cebu City.
Rescue teams are continuing recovery operations despite hazardous conditions and the sheer volume of waste, Tumulak added.
The disaster occurred last Thursday when large amounts of garbage collapsed at a landfill in Cebu City, about 560 kilometres south of the capital Manila, engulfing a recycling plant and several nearby houses. Days of heavy rainfall had saturated the ground, weakening the site.
Most of the victims were workers at the landfill and recycling facility, officials said, though several residential homes were also partially buried.
The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 117 million people, has long struggled with waste management, with open dumpsites posing particular risks in poorer communities.
In July 2000, a huge mound of garbage collapsed after days of heavy rain in a slum area of Quezon City in metropolitan Manila, killing more than 200 people. Many victims were never recovered. - dpa
