Video: watson/Emanuella Kälin
A week after the accident in Cebu City, the rescue workers are not giving up. But the number of deaths is rising – and hope is dwindling.
Jan 15, 2026, 11:54Jan 15, 2026, 11:54
A week after the massive garbage avalanche in the Philippines with many people missing, there is little hope of finding survivors under the mountain of rubbish. According to the local disaster control authority, the death toll has now risen to 22. 14 people are still missing. The rescue workers are continuing to work to rescue everyone buried despite the huge amounts of rubbish and the risky conditions, said Dave Tumulak, the head of the authority.
Video: watson/Emanuella Kälin
Last Thursday, large amounts of garbage at a landfill in Cebu City buried a recycling plant and several houses. The city is located around 560 kilometers south of the capital Manila. Previously, days of continuous rain had softened the ground on the site.
The victims are mostly employees of the landfill and recycling plant. However, several residential buildings were also partially buried. 18 survivors are still being treated in hospitals for various injuries.
Memory of other misfortunes
The Philippines, a huge island nation with more than 117 million inhabitants, has long been struggling with major waste disposal problems. Open landfills are considered a risk, particularly in poorer residential areas. In July 2000, after days of heavy rain, a huge mountain of garbage began to slide in a slum in Quezon City in the Manila area. More than 200 people were killed and many more missing people were never found. (dpa) (aargauerzeitung.ch)
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