1 Dead, 34 Missing After 4-Story High Mountain of Garbage Collapses at Landfill, Leaving Workers Trapped

One person has died and dozens more remain unaccounted for after a landfill collapsed in a village in the Philippines.

At around 4:17 p.m. local time on Thursday, Jan. 8, roughly 110 employees at the landfill were affected when the incident occurred in the village of Binaliw in Cebu City, according to a statement from the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) shared on Facebook.

Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said a 22-year-old woman died in the accident. In a situation report posted on Facebook on the morning of Friday, Jan. 9, he said 38 people were missing; in a later update, he said 34 people were still unaccounted for.

The mayor also said 12 people have been hospitalized so far.

Officials said an avalanche of debris and garbage buried or trapped workers, the Associated Press reported, adding that it remains unclear whether nearby residents or others were affected.

Regional police director Brig. Gen. Roderick Maranan told the news agency that the victim was a landfill worker who died while being taken to the hospital.

“Search, rescue, and retrieval operations are ongoing, with extensive multi-agency support on the ground,” Archival wrote on Facebook.

“There are signs of life,” the mayor said during a news briefing, adding that “another 500” rescuers would join the search. He said efforts are expected to continue until at least Sunday, Jan. 11, according to CBS News and Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Archival said the work has been complicated by safety concerns, noting that sparks from digging equipment could ignite methane gas emitted by the landfill, according to the outlet.

Jason Morata, a city assistant public information officer, told AFP that the mountain of garbage “must be four stories high,” CBS News reported.

Marge Parcotello, a civilian staff member of the police department in the town of Consolacion — which borders the landfill — said officials do not yet know what caused the collapse. “It wasn’t raining at all,” she said, according to CBS News, adding that many of those affected are from Consolacion.

Jaylord Antigua, 31, an office worker at the landfill, said the trash mound collapsed suddenly without warning, according to the Associated Press. He said his office was destroyed, but he escaped with bruises to his face and arms after crawling through debris and rubble, the news agency reported.

“I saw a light and crawled toward it in a hurry because I feared there will be more landslides,” Antigua told the outlet. “It was traumatic. I feared that it was my end, so this is my second life.”

In a later Facebook post, Archival urged residents to keep those affected and rescuers in their thoughts: “Let’s continue to pray for the safety of all affected and for the strength of our rescuers working tirelessly on the scene.”