Binaliw trash slide death toll rises to 28

Local

EVEN as Tropical Storm Ada lashed Cebu with rain and wind, rescuers pressed on at the collapsed Binaliw landfill, where the death toll rose to 28 and eight workers remained missing.

Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, chair of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CCDRRMC), said search and rescue operations were ongoing despite hazardous weather conditions, dismissing reports that efforts had been temporarily suspended.

Tumulak confirmed that bodies were recovered earlier Friday, Jan 16.

He said responders on the ground remained determined to finish the operation and bring closure to families.

“Gusto pod sa mga rescuers nga makuha jud tanan ug mahuman na para makauli na sila,” he added.

Tumulak said disaster response personnel, including barangay-based responders, had been pre-positioned to ensure continuity of operations despite rain and unstable ground conditions.

As of 12:10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, authorities reported 28 confirmed deaths, 18 injured survivors, and eight people still missing from the January 8 collapse at the Barangay Binaliw landfill, operated by Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PIWS).

The continued rescue came as Cebu felt the effects of Tropical Storm Ada (international name: Naekon), which disrupted air and sea travel across the Visayas.

On Friday, 16 domestic flights, mostly to and from Siargao and Calbayog, were grounded, while at least 164 passengers in Central Visayas were stranded due to canceled sea trips, according to authorities.

The Philippine Coast Guard said 89 rolling cargoes and five vessels sought shelter in ports across the region.

State weather bureau Pagasa said that as of 10 a.m. Friday, Ada was located 325 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, packing winds of up to 65 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching 80 kph. Sixty-six areas nationwide, including parts of Cebu, were placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1.

Ada is expected to remain a tropical storm as it tracks northwestward east of the Visayas and Southern Luzon, with possible weakening into a tropical depression by Tuesday.

The Binaliw landfill collapse occurred shortly before 5 p.m. on Jan. 8, when a massive section of waste, soil, steel trusses, and office structures gave way, trapping workers inside the facility.

Authorities have repeatedly defended the pace of operations, citing extreme danger at the site.

Tumulak said responders are working over unstable layers of compacted garbage, twisted metal, toxic fumes, and flood-prone areas. Heavy equipment is used sparingly to avoid triggering secondary collapses.

Despite the growing death toll, officials have maintained that the operation remains classified as search and rescue—not retrieval—out of respect for families still hoping for survivors.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has ordered the suspension of landfill operations, citing initial findings of waste oversaturation, excessive landfill height, prolonged rainfall, and geotechnical instability.

As rescue efforts continue, Cebu City is also confronting a looming waste disposal crisis following the shutdown of its primary landfill, with temporary measures now in place across Metro Cebu.(TGP)