Landfill collapse kills one and leaves dozens missing in Philippines

Rescuers retrieve eight people alive and are searching for more missing in Binaliw, Cebu city.Published On 9 Jan 2026An avalanche of rubbish buried workers at a waste segregation facility in a central Philippine city, killing one person, injuring seven and leaving at least 27 others missing, police have said.Rescuers retrieved eight people alive and were searching for the missing still trapped after a huge mound of rubbish and debris collapsed on them in Binaliw, Cebu city, police said on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4At least 1,250 people dead: What caused the devastating Asia floods?list 2 of 4The human cost of the Philippines’ flood-control corruption scandallist 3 of 4Philippine President Marcos says seven arrested over corruption scandallist 4 of 4Typhoon Fung-wong leaves Philippines with 10 dead, 1.4 million displacedend of listThose affected included workers at the landfill, but it was unclear if non-workers were among the victims.One of those rescued, a female landfill worker, died while being brought to a hospital, regional police director Roderick Maranan told The Associated Press news agency, adding the rest survived with injuries.Search and rescue efforts were continuing for the 27 missing, Maranan said, citing an initial police report.Cebu city Mayor Nestor Archival said Friday that at least 12 people have been rescued and 38 others remain missing. The reason for the different numbers of missing and rescued given by the police and Archival was not immediately clear.“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.At the landfill site, dozens of rescuers scrambled overnight in search of people trapped.“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.