Rescuers in Cebu City, central Philippines, detected “signs of life” in an avalanche of garbage that killed at least four workers and left more than 30 others missing, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said.
The collapse occurred Thursday at a waste management facility in the village of Binaliw, where authorities said 12 workers were rescued with injuries from the large mound of garbage that fell among low-slung buildings.
Dozens of rescuers, including police, firefighters and disaster-response personnel, raced against time to find more survivors in dangerous conditions among twisted roofing, metal debris and combustible heaps, officials said.
In a statement, Archival said authorities confirmed the presence of detected signs of life in specific areas and that the search would require “continued careful excavation” and the use of additional heavy equipment.
Archival said a more advanced 50-ton crane was en route “with police escort.” He also said the safety of responders remained paramount because of hazards such as unstable debris and acetylene risks, prompting adjustments to the security perimeter and controlled access to the site.
The four people who died, including an engineer and a female office worker, were landfill employees, the mayor and police said. Archival said the landfill and waste management facility had a staff of 110.
Officials’ casualty counts increased over the weekend. Archival said that the initial list of victims released Friday included two dead and 36 missing, and that number rose Saturday to four dead, though he did not give an updated figure for those missing.
The cause of the collapse remained unclear. A survivor who spoke to The Associated Press said the incident happened in an instant without warning despite fairly good weather at the time.
Jaylord Antigua, a 31-year-old office worker at the landfill, told the AP that the wall of garbage cascaded down and destroyed the administrative office he was in. Antigua said he extricated himself by crawling in darkness in the rubble and debris after he saw a light, adding: “It was traumatic. I feared that it was my end, so this is my second life.”
Archival said preparations were underway to manage what he called a looming garbage collection issue after the collapse, without providing further details.
The disaster highlighted long-running concerns about safety and health at landfills and open dumpsites in the Philippines, especially near poor communities where residents scavenge for junk and leftover food in garbage heaps.
The AP noted that a similar catastrophe occurred in July 2000, when a garbage mound in a shantytown in suburban Quezon City collapsed and ignited a fire after days of stormy weather. That disaster left more than 200 people dead, damaged scores of shanties and prompted a law requiring the closure of illegal dump sites nationwide and improved, more sustainable waste management by authorities.