Rescue teams in Cebu City detected "signs of life" inside a collapsed garbage mound that has killed at least four landfill workers and left dozens missing. Twelve workers have been rescued with injuries, and a 50-ton crane is being brought in to assist careful excavation amid unstable debris and acetylene risks. The facility employs about 110 people; authorities have not provided an updated count of the missing. Officials are preparing measures to manage potential disruptions to city garbage collection while the investigation continues.
Signs Of Life Detected At Cebu Landfill After Garbage Avalanche Kills Four, Dozens Missing
Rescuers continue operations on a collapsed waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city, central Philippines on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Rescuers in Cebu City on Saturday reported detecting "signs of life" inside a massive mound of garbage that collapsed this week at a landfill in the village of Binaliw, a disaster that has killed at least four workers and left dozens unaccounted for, officials said.
A huge mound of garbage that collapsed Thursday afternoon at a waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city, central Philippines is seen on Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The waste landslide buried low-slung buildings at a waste management facility and trapped employees beneath twisted tin roofs, exposed iron bars and combustible piles of refuse. So far, teams have pulled 12 workers from the debris with injuries; many others remain missing as rescuers intensify efforts amid hazardous conditions.
Family members and relatives wait as rescuers continue operations on a collapsed waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city, central Philippines on Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Search and Rescue Under Dangerous Conditions
Police, firefighters and disaster-response crews are working around the clock. Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said crews had identified specific areas where signs of life were detected and would continue careful excavation. A more powerful 50-ton crane is en route under police escort to aid the operation.
Rescuers continue search operations at a collapsed waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city, central Philippines on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
"Safety of responders remains paramount," Archival said, noting unstable debris and acetylene risks that have forced adjustments to the security perimeter and tighter control over access to the site.
Family members and relatives wait as rescuers continue operations on a collapsed waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city, central Philippines on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Victims and Eyewitness Account
The four confirmed dead were employees of the landfill and waste management facility — including an engineer and a female office worker — out of a staff of about 110, the mayor and police said. Officials initially reported two dead and 36 missing; by Saturday the confirmed fatalities had risen to four, though authorities did not provide an updated total for the missing.
"I saw a light and crawled toward it in a hurry, because I feared there will be more landslides," survivor Jaylord Antigua, 31, told The Associated Press. "It was traumatic. I feared that it was my end, so this is my second life."
Impact and Context
Officials said it was too soon to know how the accident will affect garbage collection in Cebu, a busy port city of nearly a million people and a regional center for trade and tourism. Mayor Archival said preparations are underway to manage an expected disruption in waste collection, but provided no further details.
The Philippines has long faced risks from landfills and open dumps, particularly near poor communities where people scavenge for items and food. Authorities recalled a deadly July 2000 collapse of a large garbage mound in a Quezon City shantytown that killed more than 200 people after it ignited — a disaster that prompted laws to close illegal dumpsites and push for improved waste management nationwide.
Investigations are ongoing into the cause of the collapse. Rescuers said they would continue careful, controlled excavation to protect survivors and emergency personnel while working to recover any additional victims.
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