ISTANBUL

The death toll from a landfill collapse in the Philippines has risen to 20, with 16 missing Wednesday, according to the GMA News Online, citing the Bureau of Fire Protection.

Search operations for a seventh day Wednesday were still underway for 16 workers believed to be trapped under the debris.

The accident took place last Thursday at a privately operated landfill facility in Cebu City in the Central Visayas region, where workers were on site at the time.

Rescue teams continue to use heavy machinery and manual digging as hopes ebb of locating survivors.

The Southeast Asian nation will observe a day of mourning Friday for the victims of the Binaliw landfill landslide, as a motion on the declaration of a state of calamity for the city was approved, according to the ABS-CBN news outlet.

“This is a solemn recognition of the tragic landslide incident that occurred in Barangay Binaliw which claimed lives that cost immeasurable grief,” said Councilor Jun Alcover.