Garbage landslide in Philippines kills four, dozens missing
3 Min Read
A garbage heap collapse at Cebu’s Binaliw landfill has left at least four dead and dozens missing, with rescue operations ongoing amid hazardous conditions.
-
Rescuers continue operations on a collapsed waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu City, central Philippines, on January 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)
Rescue teams in Cebu City continue to search for survivors following a deadly garbage landslide at the Binaliw landfill that killed at least four sanitation workers and left dozens more missing.
The Cebu landfill collapse occurred on Thursday when a massive heap of refuse, estimated to be 20 storeys high, collapsed, burying around 50 employees working at the site. The privately operated facility, run by Prime Integrated Waste Solutions, serves as the primary waste processing center for Cebu and surrounding communities.
As of Saturday, rescuers were working under dangerous conditions, with the landfill remaining unstable. “From time to time, the landfill is moving, and that will temporarily stop the operation,” said Jo Reyes, a Cebu rescuer. “We have to stop for a while for the safety of our rescuers.”
Efforts have been slowed by a poor signal in the area and the risk of further collapse. So far, 12 people have been rescued alive and hospitalized. City officials report that 34 individuals remain unaccounted for.
Structural concerns and previous safety complaints
Cebu City Council member Joel Garganera described the scene as “very difficult” due to the weight of heavy materials buried under layers of unstable trash. He noted that most of the buried victims were likely in staff houses located inside the facility when the collapse occurred.
Garganera raised alarm over the “alarming” height of the trash pile, adding that drivers had long complained about the steep and dangerous road leading to the top.
TINGNAN | Umakyat na sa apat ang naitalang nasawi dahil sa pagguho ng landfill sa Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City noong Enero 8 ng hapon.
— Radyo Pilipinas (@radyopilipinas1) January 10, 2026
Sa pinakahuling incident bulletin na ipinalabas ng Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Region-7, dalawa pa ang nadagdag sa bilang ng mga na-recover… pic.twitter.com/8DUiy0Mo51
"Every now and then when it rains, there are landslides happening around the city of Cebu ... how much more (dangerous is that) for a landfill or a mountain that is made of garbage?" he said.
He also warned that the combination of heavy rainfall and water-absorbing garbage made the site particularly vulnerable to collapse.
Prime integrated waste solutions under scrutiny
The Binaliw landfill, the sole waste processing site for Cebu and nearby areas, reportedly handles 1,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily. Following the Cebu landfill collapse, calls and emails to Prime Integrated Waste Solutions have so far gone unanswered.
Officials have called the situation a “double whammy” for the city, given the facility’s critical role in local waste management.
Rita Cogay, a 49-year-old worker who operates a compactor at the site, narrowly escaped the disaster. She had stepped outside to get a drink just moments before the building she was in was crushed. “I thought a helicopter had crashed. But when I turned, it was the garbage and the building coming down,” she told AFP.
As families wait for news and rescuers press on under dangerous conditions, city officials continue to hope for more survivors in what remains a highly unstable and tragic scene.
