Rescue efforts underway after garbage avalanche kills four in Cebu City
Rescuers detected signs of life in an avalanche of garbage that killed at least four workers and left more than 30 others missing Thursday in a landfill in central Philippines, reports BritPanorama.
Twelve workers have been rescued with injuries from the large mound of garbage that collapsed among the low-slung buildings of a waste management facility in the village of Binaliw in Cebu City, authorities reported.
Dozens of rescuers, including police, firefighters, and disaster-response personnel, are racing against time to find more survivors in dangerous conditions within the rubble of twisted tin roofs, iron bars, and combustible heaps of garbage and debris.
“Authorities confirmed the presence of detected signs of life in specific areas, requiring continued careful excavation and the deployment of a more advanced 50-ton crane, which is en route with police escort,” Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said in a statement.
“Safety of responders remains paramount due to hazards such as unstable debris and acetylene risks, prompting adjustments to the security perimeter and controlled access,” Archival added.
The four dead, including an engineer and a female office worker, were all employees of the landfill and waste management facility, which has a staff of 110, according to the mayor and police.
The initial list of victims on Friday included two dead and 36 missing, which increased Saturday to four dead, although Archival did not provide an updated number of people missing.
The cause of the collapse remains unclear. A survivor, Jaylord Antigua, a 31-year-old office worker at the landfill, described how the wall of garbage cascaded down without warning, destroying the administrative office he was in. He managed to extricate himself with bruises on his face and arms by crawling in darkness through the rubble.
“I saw a light and crawled toward it in a hurry, because I feared there will be more landslides,” Antigua said. “It was traumatic. I feared that it was my end, so this is my second life.”
The long-term impact of the accident on garbage disposal in Cebu, a bustling port city of nearly a million people, remains uncertain. Preparations “are also underway to manage the looming garbage collection issue,” Archival stated, without providing further detail.
Such landfills and open dumpsites have historically raised safety and health concerns throughout the Philippines, particularly in areas near poor communities where residents often scavenge for junk and leftover food among garbage heaps.
The country has seen similar incidents in the past. In July 2000, a large garbage mound in a shantytown in suburban Quezon City collapsed, killing more than 200 people and prompting a nationwide law requiring the closure of illegal dump sites and improved waste management practices.
Given this context, the current disaster underscores the ongoing challenges faced by the Philippines regarding waste management and community safety.
