Hopes fade for rescuing 29 missing in Philippine landfill collapse
Hopes are fading of finding more survivors amid the rubble in the central Philippines, as local officials confirmed that the chances of survival are extremely slim after 72 crucial hours have passed since the devastating landslide in Cebu City. Rescue workers continue a desperate race against time and adverse weather conditions to search through tons of debris that have buried dozens.
The recovery of another body on Sunday brought the confirmed death toll to seven, while at least 29 people remain missing. The disaster occurred last Thursday when a massive mountain of garbage, as high as a 20-story building, collapsed at the Benaleo landfill, a private facility that receives waste from the city of nearly one million people, burying some 50 sanitation workers who were on site.
Rescue challenges and environmental risks
In detailing the search operations, local fire chief Wendell Villanueva explained to AFP that specialized teams detected two possible signs of life on Saturday using specialized radar, recording a heartbeat 30 meters beneath the rubble. However, he confirmed that there are no recent reports of these signals continuing, reinforcing the likelihood that there are no survivors after three full days under tons of compacted waste.
So far, rescue teams have managed to pull 12 workers alive from the rubble and transport them to hospitals for treatment. However, the rescue efforts face enormous challenges, as emergency officials have indicated that the mountain of waste remains unstable and shifting, posing a significant risk of further collapses that could endanger the lives of the rescuers themselves. This situation has been exacerbated by heavy rainfall, which has increased the fluidity of the soil and waste.
Context of the disaster and the waste management crisis
This tragic incident has once again highlighted the solid waste management crisis plaguing the Philippines and many developing countries in Southeast Asia. Such disasters often occur in open dumps lacking the necessary engineering infrastructure to stabilize piles of garbage, particularly in areas prone to heavy tropical rains and frequent typhoons.
Historically, the Philippines has witnessed similar incidents, most notably the infamous Payatas landfill tragedy in 2000, which claimed hundreds of lives. The current incident raises pressing questions about occupational safety standards at private waste management facilities, government oversight of these facilities, and the health and environmental risks to which workers and residents of areas surrounding these landfills are exposed.
