Mexico landfill collapse was so massive that it buried a crane and its operator

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Rescuers said Wednesday the collapse and landslide at a garbage dump north of Mexico City was so massive that it buried a crane and its operator.

The civil defense office in the Mexico City suburb of Naucalpan said the crane operator, and his crane, are still missing, after a hillside collapsed at the landfill Tuesday.

Marines, police and rescue workers continued the search for the man on Wednesday.

It was unclear if it the cave-in happened because of a landslide, or the collapse of the enormous accumulation of garbage on top. The landfill was subsequently ordered closed by environmental authorities, apparently because it wasn’t operating with proper safeguards.

Overfilled and overcapacity landfills have been a recurring problem in Mexico. They frequently accept more garbage than can be safely contained or covered with dirt, leaving noxious runoff leaching into local bodies of water.