Body recovered from Rodriguez, Rizal landfill collapse —mayor

Authorities have recovered one body from the site of a trash slide at a landfill in Rodriguez, Rizal, Mayor Ronnie Evangelista said on Monday.

The victim, one of three individuals initially reported missing, was retrieved during the ongoing operations.

“Yung reported na tatlong missing, meron na tayong isa na na-retrieve at nakuha na rin ng pamilya,” Evangelista told GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita in an interview. 

(Of the three reported missing, one has been retrieved and has been turned over to the family.)

Three days after the incident, operations at the landfill have shifted fully to recovery mode, according to the mayor. 

Evangelista said the retrieval efforts have been challenging due to the massive volume of compacted waste at the site of the operations. 

He added initial findings showed the trash slide occurred during compaction activities in one section of the landfill. 

Several bulldozers were reportedly operating in the same area and the combined weight of the heavy equipment may have triggered the collapse.

Evangelista pointed out that the incident was not caused by heavy rains but “this is more of an accident.”

The operators of the involved bulldozers are now recuperating after sustaining minor injuries. 

According to the mayor, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is leading the investigation to determine if there were any lapses on the part of the landfill’s operators.

Meanwhile, only the affected Phase 5 of the landfill has been closed, while other sections of the facility continue to operate for an unhampered garbage collection in communities, the mayor added. —AOL, GMA Integrated News