The death toll in a collapsed landfill in the central Philippines has risen to 11, authorities said, as hopes of finding survivors dim.
The landslide occurred at the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City last week while more than 100 workers were on site, officials said.
Rescuers have so far pulled 12 injured people out of the debris, but more than 20 people still remain missing. One local fire official had earlier told AFP that was unlikely for people to still be alive three days after tons of debris and trash had collapsed over them.
The incident has sparked calls for investigation into the cause of the collapse, as well as a review of the country's waste management system.
Environment 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.
The department also stated it would conduct an investigation into the cause of the collapse and hold accountable those responsible.
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.
Bienvinido Ranido, who lives near the landfill and whose wife worked there, described witnessing chaos as people fled the site, with some survivors reporting that the garbage exploded. Rescuers retrieved his wife's body the next day.
The Binaliw landfill covers an area of about 15 hectares (37 acres). A preliminary report cites continuous rainfall in recent weeks as a contributing factor to the weight of the debris leading to the landslide.
Landfills are commonly found in major Philippine cities like Cebu, which serves as a key trading center of the archipelago nation's central islands.
