Rescue workers are racing to find dozens of people still missing following a landslide at a landfill site in the central Philippines that occurred earlier this week, an official has said.
Mayor Nestor Archival stated that signs of life had been detected at the site in Cebu City, two days after the incident. Four people have been confirmed dead so far, and 12 others have been hospitalized.
Conditions for emergency services working at the site are challenging, with unstable debris posing a hazard as crews await better equipment. The privately-owned Binaliw landfill collapsed on Thursday while 110 workers were on site.
Archival mentioned on Facebook that emergency teams found signs of life in specific areas, necessitating careful excavation and the use of a more advanced 50-ton crane. Families of the missing have been on edge, with over 30 workers thought to be trapped under the debris.
We are just hoping that we can get someone alive... We are racing against time, that's why our deployment is 24/7, said Cebu City councillor Dave Tumulak.
The cause of the collapse is still under investigation, but issues with waste management have been pointed out as a likely culprit. The landfill, covering about 15 hectares, raised concerns due to practices where soil was dug out and replaced with garbage.
Landfills like the Binaliw are common in major Philippine cities such as Cebu, a vital trading center in the region.
