Philippines 22 dead after waste avalanche in Cebu City - hope fades
One week after the massive waste avalanche in the Philippines with many people missing, there is hardly any hope of finding survivors under the mountain of waste. According to the local disaster control authority, the death toll has now risen to 22. 14 people are still missing. Dave Tumulak, the head of the authority, said that the rescue teams were still working to recover all those trapped, despite the huge amounts of garbage and the risky conditions.
15.01.2026, 07:19
SDA
Last Thursday, large quantities of garbage at a landfill site in Cebu City buried a recycling plant and several houses. The city is located around 560 kilometers south of the capital Manila. Days of continuous rain had previously softened the ground on the site.
Most of the victims are employees of the landfill and the recycling plant. However, several residential buildings were also partially buried. 18 survivors are still being treated in hospitals for various injuries.
Reminder of another disaster
The Philippines, a huge island nation with more than 117 million inhabitants, has long struggled with major waste disposal problems. Open landfills are considered a risk, especially in poorer residential areas. In July 2000, after days of heavy rainfall in a poor district of Quezon City in the greater Manila area, a huge mountain of garbage started to slide. More than 200 people lost their lives and many more were never found.
