Investigation launched after four dead and dozens missing in devastating landfill collapse

Photos shared by the mayor on Facebook showed that several structures at the site, including facilities operated by the landfill operator, were damaged during the collapse.

Archival said disaster response units, police, fire brigades, and the military attended the scene, along with ambulances, fire trucks and lighting towers.

Mayor Archival said in a Facebook post on Saturday the death toll had risen to four and that 12 others had been sent to hospitals.

"Authorities confirmed...detected signs of life in specific areas, requiring continued careful excavation and the deployment of a more advanced 50-ton crane," Archival said.

Thirty-six people were missing based on a Friday tally. An update on the number of missing was not immediately available.

Families of the missing workers remained hopeful on Saturday that they would be found alive.

Jerahmey Espinoza, whose husband was among the missing, went to the landfill in hopes of finding him.

Espinoza said: "They haven't seen him or located him ever since the disaster happened. We're still hopeful that he's alive."

Landfills are common in major cities across the country such as Cebu.

The city which has a population of around 965,000 is the trading centre and transportation gateway of the Visayas, the archipelago nation's central islands.

Michelle Lumapas, whose brother works at the landfill, told local media: "I could not understand my emotions. They said those trapped are calling for help, so there is a possibility that my brother is still there."

Cebu City councillor Joel Garganera said the incident was likely the result of poor waste management practices.

One Binaliw resident, Belen Antigua, told local media her son had survived the landslide but she was still waiting for her other relatives to be found.