Residents living near the area where a portion of a sanitary landfill collapsed in Barangay New Carmen, Davao City were evacuated for safety reasons.

After the incident afternoon on Wednesday, May 20,2026, residents were moved to the barangay gymnasium where tents were set up as their temporary shelter.

“Dili okay jud kay naproblema gani mi og asa mi magbalhin ani kay puro ra temporary na among gipangpuy-an. Hadlok pud kaayo, di pud mi gusto mubalik pud mi diha,” a resident, Joselito Musa, said.

“Bakwit mi kay delikado, kay sa mga bata. Naglisod gyud mi,” another resident, Vina Flores, added.

Personnel of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) have coordinated with the affected families for the release of immediate assistance.

Around 1 p.m., residents reportedly noticed that the back portion of the sanitary landfill gave in. As a result, tons of garbage slid down toward houses built in the lower area.

A 31-year-old man died while two elderly women remain missing, as of this writing, after they were buried.

Due to the wide area and large volume of garbage that collapsed, it has been difficult to locate the two senior citizens.

However, their family found signs indicating that the bodies of the two may still be buried there.

“Kani ilahang stock, kaning kinayam nila ug kani ilahang payong kay kani siya ang stock niya tapad ra sa iyahang gipuy-an. So, dako kaayo sila og posibilidad nga naa sila diring dapita. Ang amoa, nihangyo lang mi nga matarbaho lang unta bahala og unsa, basta makuha lang namo ilahang patayng lawas, maplastar namo sila,” a victims’ family, Junie Estandarte, said.

The brothers who were injured after being hit by a portion of their house that was also buried at that time have already been discharge from the hospital.

“Nikalit ra og hinay-hinay ang kahoy og katumba then niadto mi sa likod sa baboyan kay tabangan unta namo si nanay, wala nami kaapas. Akong manghod nalang akong tabangan kay naa raman sa akong tapad,” an injured resident, John Carl Llamas, said.

Several houses and a tricycle were also damaged.

On Thursday, May 21, 2026, rescuers from the City Disasters Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Special Rescue Force, along with personnel from the DENR Environmental Management Bureau, inspected the back portion of the landfill where the collapse occurred.

A barangay official said the collapse may have been caused by the weight of the garbage due to continuous rains.

“Tungod pila ka adlaw man gud ang ulan, bug-at ang basura mao to nilihok,” Barangay New Carmen Chairman Jerry Siballos said.

According to the Davao City Information Office, the local government is already investigating the incident.