Philippines: Rubbish landfill collapse death toll rises to 13

An unusual incident captured attention after a heavy rubbish landfall incident took several lives in Phillipines.

The death toll in a collapsed rubbish landfill in the central Philippines has risen to 13 ,said authorities.

The officials reported that the landslide occurred at the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City last week while more than 100 workers were on site.

Local fire officials had earlier told AFP that it was unlikely for people to "still remain alive" three days after "tons of debris collapsed over them," but Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival told a news outlet that signs of life were still detected in the debris during a search on Monday, adding that officials remain in rescue mode.

The incident has sparked calls for an investigation into the cause of the collapse, as well as a review of the country's waste management system.

Moreover environmental authorities have since ordered Prime Integrated Waste Solutions, Inc., the landfill's operator, to suspend its activities at the site.

The company would have to "submit a compliance plan within 90 days," the local Department of Environment and Natural Resources said in a statement on Monday, January 12, 2026.

The department also said it would conduct an investigation into the cause of the collapse and hold to account the responsible parties.

Furthermore, relatives are waiting for any form of updates on their loved ones.

Lawmakers have called for reviews of the country's waste management system and working conditions of waste workers.

"This should have never happened," Senator Imee Marcos, who has requested an investigation into the Binaliw landfill's operations, said on Monday.

"We have seen similar tragedies before, yet the same dangers persist," he added.

"The lives lost in Cebu demand clear answers and real reforms."

Bienvinido Ranido, who lives near the landfill and whose wife worked there, told Reuters that he saw people fleeing from the site last week, saying the "garbage exploded."

"I quickly took my motorcycle and rushed to the landfill. When I got there, I saw the collapsed building and it was buried by the garbage. I just screamed," he said. Rescuers retrieved his wife's body the next day.

The Binaliw landfill is located on a piece of land measuring 20 hectares (49 acres)—three hectares of which are used for the landfill, Cebu newspaper The Freeman reported, citing the landfill's operator.

While authorities are still looking into the cause of the landslide, a preliminary report from the local Mines and Geosciences Bureau points to continuous rainfall in recent weeks, which made the rubbish heavier, as well as other engineering factors, local media reported.

Landfills are common in major Philippine cities like Cebu, which is the trading centre and transportation gateway of the Visayas, the archipelago nation's central islands.

The rescue teams have saved 12 injured people, while more than 20 others are still missing under the debris.

The disaster has led to demands for an investigation into what caused the landfill to collapse and for a review of how waste is managed in the country.