The death toll rose to four after a nine-storey building under construction collapsed in Angeles City, Pampanga, regional fire bureau spokeswoman Maria Leah Sajili reported on May 24, ABS-CBN News reports.
The incident highlights the perennial safety risks shadowing the Philippines’ regional construction boom, where regulatory oversight in rapidly expanding urban hubs outside Manila frequently lags behind the pace of development.
Emergency teams discovered two workers alive beneath the wreckage after the structure gave way and struck an adjacent hotel, killing a Malaysian guest, on May 24. However, both trapped labourers later died despite intensive rescue efforts.
The first worker was extracted alive but his body gave out and doctors could not resuscitate him, Sajili said. The second worker suffered cardiac arrest at approximately 3:00 am while still pinned down, preventing medical staff from treating him.
Another 17 people, mostly construction workers who were sleeping at the site when the disaster struck, remain missing. While up to 70 people were employed at the development, the majority had gone home for the weekend, preventing an even higher casualty count. The cause of the collapse is currently unknown.
"I have two cousins who are still trapped there," said construction worker Alfredo Albis, 55, who was sleeping in a barracks five metres from the structure when it collapsed. "They were working here to earn for their families and are missing. There's a possibility that my relatives are dead."
Rescue operations remain slow and dangerous. Any sudden shift triggered by rescuers can cause the debris to move and crush those trapped underneath, whilst also threatening to bury responders, Sajili noted. Consequently, this phase of the operation is being handled manually. Search teams will deploy thermal scanners to check for signs of life. If no further survivors are found, mechanical diggers and heavy equipment will be brought in to clear the debris and recover bodies.
Philippine Coast Guard Helps Fight Major Fire Next to its Headquarters
On Saturday, the Philippine Coast Guard played a part in responding to a major waterfront fire in the Tondo district of Manila, providing support from the water side and helping administer first aid on shore.
At about 1450 hours on Saturday afternoon, a large-scale conflagration broke out in the Parola district of Tondo, Manila, located in between the Philippine Coast Guard's Manila station and the Manila International Container Terminal. The Parola Compound is a tightly packed low-income neighborhood, walled off from the road network and largely inaccessible by car, and firefighters spent hours attempting to contain the spread.
PCG servicemembers provided a physical bucket brigade to move water to the front lines of the fire. From the water side, three PCG RIB boats, two inflatable boats and a Metal Shark patrol boat responded to the scene, along with a local ferry boat and a fire boat from nearby Mandaluyong City.
Courtesy PCG
The blaze was declared out at last at about 0015 hours on Sunday morning. Despite the high population density of the area, no fatalities were reported.
The fire has affected more than 7,000 people and 1,200 structures, according to Manila's fire inspectors. The city's mayor has pledged to provide housing for as many of the displaced residents as possible. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has also promised government aid; early deliveries include hygiene kits and about $160 in emergency food aid, and more assistance is coming, he said during a site visit Sunday.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, and an investigation is under way.
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