Garbage landslide at Cebu landfill kills one, dozens feared trapped

Rescue operations were underway on Friday in Cebu City, Philippines, after a towering pile of garbage collapsed at the Binaliw Landfill, leaving at least one person dead and dozens feared trapped, officials said.

The collapse occurred on Thursday at the privately operated facility, which handles around 1,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily. Jason Morata, a city assistant public information officer, described the trash mound as “four storeys high” and said aerial images showed several structures crushed beneath the debris.

The Hindu reported that at least 12 sanitation workers were rescued alive and hospitalised, according to a statement from Mayor Nestor Archival. “Rescue teams are fully engaged in search and retrieval efforts to locate the remaining missing persons,” the mayor added.

The buildings buried under the refuse housed company offices, human resources, administration and maintenance staff for the private firm running the landfill. Morata noted that the site had recently faced extreme weather, including two typhoons and an earthquake in late 2025, which could have contributed to the collapse.

Marge Parcotello, a police civilian staffer from nearby Consolacion town, said many of the victims were residents of the area. She added that there had been “no rain at all” at the time of the landslide, and the cause remained unclear.

Calls to the landfill operator, Prime Integrated Waste Solutions, were not immediately answered. Communication at the site was hampered, Morata said, due to a lack of signal.

The disaster evokes memories of a similar tragedy in July 2000, when more than 200 people were killed in a Manila shanty town after a garbage avalanche, prompting public outrage and eventual legislation to improve waste management across the Philippines.