Home / Disasters and Accidents / Garbage Mountain Buries Philippines Landfill Workers
Garbage Mountain Buries Philippines Landfill Workers
10 Jan
Summary
- At least four sanitation workers died when refuse toppled 20 storeys high.
- Rescue efforts are ongoing but hampered by the unstable, moving landfill.
- The landfill processes 1,000 tons of waste daily and serves multiple communities.
Rescue workers continue to sift through tons of garbage following a catastrophic landfill collapse in Cebu City, Philippines, on January 8, 2026. The incident tragically claimed the lives of at least four sanitation employees, with 34 still unaccounted for as of January 10, 2026. Approximately 50 workers were buried when a massive amount of refuse, estimated to be 20 stories high, cascaded down.
Operations at the Binaliw Landfill are fraught with peril, as the site remains unstable and prone to further movement. Rescuers must periodically halt their efforts due to the shifting garbage and heavy debris, including steel, posing significant risks. So far, 12 employees have been pulled alive from the wreckage and are receiving hospital treatment. Information from the disaster zone has been challenging to obtain due to poor signal.
The landfill, operated by Prime Integrated Waste Solutions, processes 1,000 tons of municipal solid waste daily and is the sole provider for Cebu and surrounding areas. Concerns have been raised about the site's safety, particularly after heavy rains have caused landslides in the city previously. Local officials had warned of the inherent dangers associated with such a massive accumulation of waste.
