Philippine Landfill Disaster Claims Over Twenty Lives
Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak revealed that responders have refused to officially transition to body recovery alone despite deteriorating odds and treacherous site conditions, honoring the wishes of grieving relatives.
"Most families are still hoping their relatives are alive, and we are also praying for miracles as the search for survivors continues," Tumulak stated during a radio broadcast.
The catastrophe struck a privately managed waste facility in the city during the late afternoon hours of Jan. 8, when a towering mountain of refuse gave way without warning, entombing a structure and numerous laborers beneath debris.
By Thursday evening, the city's Bureau of Fire Protection verified 25 deaths, with 11 people still vanished. Officials previously disclosed that 18 injured employees were extracted during the initial days following the collapse.
Emergency personnel—spanning firefighters, coast guard units, and military forces—continue battling perilous circumstances including shifting terrain, explosive methane concentrations, and cramped passageways under massive volumes of compressed garbage.
Following the tragedy, the Cebu City Council proclaimed a state of calamity, unlocking emergency funding to sustain search missions and manage the ensuing waste management breakdown.
Separately, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has delivered an urgent cease-and-desist directive to the landfill's operator, pointing to potential failures in oversight and safety measures.
Relatives of the disappeared workers maintain around-the-clock presence at the location, clinging to hope and offering prayers for favorable outcomes.
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