MANILA, Philippines (AP) — An avalanche of garbage and debris buried or trapped workers in low-slung buildings at a landfill in the Philippines, killing one person, injuring a dozen and leaving 38 others missing, officials said Friday.
Dozens of rescuers retrieved 13 people alive overnight and were searching for the missing still trapped after the mountain of garbage, earth and debris collapsed on them Thursday afternoon in the village of Binaliw in Cebu city, officials and police said. Landfill workers were among those affected, but it’s not clear if there were neighboring residents or others involved as well.
One of those rescued, a female landfill worker, died while being brought to a hospital, regional police director Brig. Gen. Roderick Maranan told The Associated Press, adding the rest survived with injuries and were hospitalized.
Jaylord Antigua, a 31-year-old office worker in the landfill, said the collapse of the mountain of garbage unfolded rapidly without warning and in good weather. The avalanche of rubbish destroyed his office, where he managed to extricate himself with bruises in his face and arms by crawling under the rubble and debris.
“I saw a light and crawled toward it in a hurry because I feared there will be more landslides,” Antigua told The Associated Press. “It was traumatic. I feared that it was my end so this is my second life.”
Search and rescue efforts were continuing for 38 missing, Cebu Mayor Nestor Archival and the Office of Civil Defense said Friday.
“All response teams remain fully engaged in search and retrieval efforts to locate the remaining missing persons with strict adherence to safety protocols,” Archival said in a statement posted on Facebook.
“The city government assures the public and the families of those affected that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure safety, transparency, accountability and compassionate assistance as operations continue,” Archival said.
Pictures released by authorities showed rescuers with earth-moving equipment scouring a building devastated by the massive slide with its twisted tin roofs and iron beams.
Relatives waited in anguish as the search and rescue proceeded. A woman wept openly and asked the rescuers to speed up the search.
Authorities and officials at the waste management facility, which has 110 employees, were to hold an emergency meeting Friday, Archival said.
One of the buildings hit by the wall of garbage that cascaded down in the landfill was a warehouse where workers separated recyclable waste and rubbish, Maranan said, adding that it remains unclear if nearby houses were also affected.
Such landfills and open dumpsites have long been a source of safety and health concerns in many cities and towns in the Philippines, especially in areas close to poor communities, where residents scavenge for junk and leftover food in the garbage heaps.
In July 2000, a huge mound of garbage in a dumpsite in a shantytown in suburban Quezon City in metropolitan Manila collapsed after days of stormy weather and the avalanche also ignited a fire.
The disaster left more than 200 people dead and many more missing, damaged scores of shanties and prompted the enactment of a law, which required the closure of illegal dumpsites and better waste management by authorities.
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Associated Press journalist Haruka Nuga contributed to this report from Bangkok.
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