Residents in the central Philippine city of Cebu recalled the spooky moment when a landfill collapsed on Thursday, killing one person and injuring several others.
"When I went out and looked around, the building was already submerged in trash. When I went down, there were already many people shouting for help. Before, they used to put the trash piles in a rice-terrace-style, like steps, so if they collapsed, the garbage would not fall all at once. But now they just keep dumping everything from the top," said Junel Arcilla, a Cebu resident.
"When I went out and looked behind the house, the trash had already been swept away. The metal sheets had collapsed, and something exploded. Some structures were broken. There were people bleeding and asking for help," said Cristy Arcilla, another resident who was at the site when the landfill collapsed.
"I crawled and crawled until I found a way out. When I finally emerged, my companions saw me. It was fighting spirit, for my children and my family. I survived and was not trapped. I crawled until I saw the light," said Jaylord Antigua, who survived the collapse.
Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said in a social media post that more than 100 workers were at the landfill when the structure gave way on Thursday afternoon.
At least four people have been confirmed dead as search and rescue operations continued on Saturday for those still missing.
Archival said in a social media post that 12 injured individuals have been extricated from the debris and rushed to a local hospital for treatment.
Local officials warned that the death toll could rise further as rescuers worked to locate those still missing, while the mayor said unstable ground conditions and the risk of acetylene have made search-and-rescue operations extremely dangerous, forcing teams to proceed with caution.
Residents recall horrific moments in Philippines landfill collapse as rescue efforts continue
The recent 2026 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) Annual Conference in Beijing has impressed international guests with its focus on deeper integration of technological and industrial innovation, highlighting how China's innovative advances are reshaping daily life.
The five-day forum, themed "Full Integration Between Technological and Industrial Innovation," wrapped up in Chinese capital on Sunday after bringing together more than 1,000 participants from over 100 countries and regions around the world.
More than 560 cutting-edge achievements were unveiled at the event, ranging from embodied intelligent robots and brain-computer interfaces to breakthroughs in quantum applications and 6G research and development.
The venue for the forum also showcased a number of these innovative creations to visitors, who were able to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee prepared by a humanoid barista, as well as be throughly entertained by robots performing dances or even playing piano.
Given the presence of these advanced humanoid robots, international participants shared the common view that innovation is no longer confined to laboratories but is now permeating every aspect of daily life.
"The deepest impression is actually to see how much AI is across everywhere," said Anders Karlsson, vice president of Elsevier, a global leader providing advanced information and decision support to accelerate progress in science and healthcare worldwide.
"The Zhongguancun Forum has become a very international window on innovation. We can find out annually how innovation is driving [and a key] component of growth of this wonderful country," said Vincenzo Lipardi, president and co-founder of SPICI, an Italian company assisting businesses and startups with strategic consulting services.
"As a scientist and as a worker of the United Nations system, I'm really pleased to see integration of science, technology and sustainability," said Shahbaz Khan, director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia.
One of the forum's key themes was around opening up and striving for greater cooperation, which demonstrated to the wider world that China's innovation aims to break down barriers and share opportunities, so as to enable the global community to advance together.
"It's my first time attending the forum. And I'm very surprised that you have a very high level of innovation. China is open to ideas. Openness is the way to make innovations," said Prof. Hussein Sherief, a member of the International Committee for Scientific and Technical Data (CODATA).
Int'l guests hail integration of technology, innovation at Beijing forum
