Jamaine Punzalan

Members of the search and rescue team look for people after a landslide at the landfill in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City on January 11, 2026. Hard hat-wearing rescue workers and backhoes dug through rubble in search of survivors on January 10 in the shadow of a mountain of garbage that buried dozens of landfill employees in the central Philippines. Cheryl Baldicantos, AFP

Article (news)

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768179144410AFP__20260111__92BJ9WF__v1__MidRes__PhilippinesLandslideAccident.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Members of the search and rescue team look for people after a landslide at the landfill in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City on January 11, 2026. Hard hat-wearing rescue workers and backhoes dug through rubble in search of survivors in the shadow of a mountain of garbage that buried dozens of landfill employees in the central Philippines. Cheryl Baldicantos, AFP</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA —  The collapse of a massive mountain of trash in Cebu City has left 8 people dead, local authorities said Monday, as dozens remained missing.  </p><p>The death toll climbed to 8 after two females were pulled from the rubble on Sunday night, based on data from the Cebu City Fire Station.  </p><p>Rescuers used a crane to reach difficult areas in the site as search operations continued on Monday morning for 28 others who remained missing, said Councilor Dave Tumulak, chairman of the Cebu City Disaster Council. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/1/10/death-toll-climbs-after-trash-site-collapse-buries-dozens-in-cebu-1342">&#x27;Racing against time&#x27;: Death toll rises after Cebu City trash site collapse</a>  </div><p>But Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Spokesperson Junie Castillo acknowledged that the number of those trapped in the landfill could be higher.   “May mga tinitingnan tayong ganito. In fact, nakikipag-ugnayan ang ating lokal na pamahalaan ganun din yung mga rescuers natin doon sa mga pamilya noong mga workers doon at saka sa kanilang kasamahan,” he said. </p><p>“[Ito ay] para ma-account kung sino nga ba at ilan nga ba ang total na nawawala at nandoon sa lugar kaya patuloy itong isinasagawa para malaman natin kung sino-sino ba ang hinahanap,” he added. </p><p>The OCD said authorities were still investigating why the landfill collapsed, but based on their initial assessment and coordination with the local government unit, this could be attributed to a strong earthquake and the recent storms that hit the province. </p><p>“Isa yun sa tinitingnan, kumbaga nagpalambot doon sa gabundok na basura dito sa landfill kaya yun ang isa sa tinitingnan o ilan sa mga dahilan kung bakit nagkaroon ng pagguho,” he said. </p><p>About 50 sanitation workers were buried on Thursday when the mountain of garbage toppled onto them from an estimated height of 20 storeys at the Binaliw Landfill, a privately operated facility that handles refuse for the city of nearly one million.</p><p>“I heard a loud noise and saw that it was very dusty,” Junel Arcilla, who documented the incident on this phone, said in Cebuano. </p><p>He added that they have been complaining about the landfill for quite some time already. </p><p>“We almost cannot breathe because of the foul smell,” Arcilla said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>HOPES WANE</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Local fire officer Wendell Villanueva told AFP on Sunday that it was unlikely &quot;for people to still be alive&quot; three days after &quot;tons of debris and trash had collapsed over them&quot;.</p><div><a href="http://&#x27;Racing against time&#x27;: Death toll rises after Cebu City trash site collapse">Hopes wane for survivors in Cebu City garbage site collapse</a></div><p>So far 12 employees have been pulled alive from the garbage and hospitalized.</p><p>On Saturday, a rescue official said emergency workers had faced the danger of further collapse by the still-shifting mountain of refuse, forcing pauses in their efforts.</p><p>Rain had only increased that danger, Villanueva said.</p><p>In a phone call with AFP, Villanueva said the focus was expected to turn from rescue to recovery on Monday, later adding that the final decision would be up to an inter-agency team.</p><p>A public information officer separately said the focus was likely to shift to recovering bodies.</p><p>Outside the disaster site, dozens of family members huddled under tents provided to shield them from the sun, while others found spots nearer the facility to watch the rescue efforts.</p><p>&quot;What we want now is to find them. Alive or dead -- so we can properly take care of them,&quot; said Jezille Matabid, whose brother Junelle, a welder at the site, was among the missing. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/1/11/cebu-city-landfill-survivor-recounts-traumatizing-ordeal-1820">Cebu City landfill survivor recounts &#x27;traumatizing&#x27; ordeal</a></div><p>In an interview with local media, Cebu Mayor Nestor Archival pointed to a recent earthquake and typhoon-driven rains as potential precipitating circumstances.</p><p>But Joel Garganera, a Cebu City council member, said the mountain of garbage had been an obvious danger.</p><p>&quot;Every now and then, when it rains, there are landslides happening around the city,&quot; with &quot;a landfill or a mountain that is made of garbage&quot; posing a particular danger, Garganera said.</p><p>&quot;The garbage is like a sponge, it really absorbs water. It doesn&#x27;t (take) a rocket scientist to say that eventually, the incident will happen.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>SENATE PROBE SOUGHT</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Sen. Imee Marcos on Monday filed a resolution seeking a Senate inquiry into the compliance of sanitary landfills with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.</p><p>In her resolution, Marcos pointed out that similar tragedies have occurred before, such as the 2000 Payatas dumpsite collapse in Quezon City where more than 200 people died.</p><p>“Notwithstanding existing laws mandating waste segregation and ecological disposal, the Philippines continues to experience serious difficulties due to rising waste generation, limited landfill capacity, and gaps in enforcement and oversight,” the resolution read.</p><p>“Solid waste management remains beset by persistent challenges arising from the increasing volume of waste generation, inadequate waste management infrastructure, and varying levels of compliance with existing laws, rules, and regulatory standards,” it added.</p><div><iframe width="729" height="410" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9M96X82qpd8" title="Cebu City landfill survivor recounts &#x27;traumatizing&#x27; ordeal | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="729" height="410" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mI41ggn8gts" title="Family bids tearful goodbye to victim of deadly Binaliw landfill collapse | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div>

<p>The collapse of a massive mountain of trash in Cebu City has left 8 people dead, local authorities said Monday, as dozens remained missing.</p>

The collapse of a massive mountain of trash in Cebu City has left 8 people dead, local authorities said Monday, as dozens remained missing.

Cebu City landfill collapse death toll hits 8

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Cebu City landfill collapse death toll hits 8

Annie Perez,

Victoria Tulad,

and Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse

Published January 12, 2026 08:54 AM PHT

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Updated January 12, 2026 03:42 PM PHT

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