The tragic collapse of a landfill in Cebu City has now claimed three lives, with dozens more workers still unaccounted for as round-the-clock search operations face extreme dangers. The disaster site in Barangay Binaliw remains a scene of anguish and frantic effort, with families clinging to hope for their missing loved ones.
Timeline of a Tragedy
The catastrophe struck at 4:17 p.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2026. A massive slide of garbage buried sections of the landfill management building, staff housing, and the office of the site operator, Prime Waste Solutions Cebu. Initial reports indicated workers were trapped inside the main building. By 6:35 p.m. on Friday, January 9, the Bureau of Fire Protection confirmed the recovery of three fatalities. The grim statistics show 12 people were rescued and hospitalized, while 35 individuals remain missing.
Massive Rescue Effort Under Hazardous Conditions
At least 500 rescuers from various agencies are actively deployed on the site, organized into four teams—Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta—each assigned a specific sector. An additional 500 personnel are on standby. However, the operation is fraught with peril. Cebu City Mayor and incident commander Nestor Archival cited two major obstacles slowing progress.
First, methane gas trapped beneath the garbage pile creates a severe risk of fire and suffocation, restricting the use of essential cutting and grinding tools. Second, the unstable ground and continued movement of the garbage mound mean that the deployment of the 40 heavy equipment units on site must be tightly controlled to prevent triggering another collapse.
Mayor Archival emphasized that authorities are observing a critical three-day rescue window from January 9 to 11, after which operations may shift to retrieval. "We are hoping we can retrieve the 34 who are still inside before that date," he stated.
Families Wait in Anguish
Outside the restricted perimeter, families of the trapped workers endure an agonizing vigil. Among them is Michelle Lumapas, praying for her 22-year-old brother, Jonell Mabatid. She last spoke to him at lunchtime on the day of the collapse. "I cannot explain what I am feeling," Lumapas shared, recounting reports of voices calling for help from the rubble. "We keep praying that he is safe. I don't know, only God truly knows."
Some nearby residents reported hearing cries for help shortly after the collapse, but noted the voices grew fainter by evening. The tension among waiting relatives is palpable, with some expressing frustration over the pace of the operation and a lack of consolidated updates from officials. The landfill employs 139 workers, most of whom are residents of neighboring barangays, making the disaster a profound blow to the entire community.
As night falls on the second day, the combined efforts of hundreds of responders continue against the clock and against formidable natural hazards, with a community's hopes resting on their success.
