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.
At least four dead, 17 still missing after collapse of unfinished hotel in Philippines
Copyright AP Photo
Officials said up to 70 people were employed at the construction site, though most had gone home for the weekend.
The death toll rose to four on Monday after the collapse of a hotel under construction near the Philippine capital, with more than a dozen people still believed missing, authorities said.
Two workers pinned beneath the wreckage were found alive after the nine-storey structure gave way on Sunday, hitting a nearby hotel and killing a Malaysian guest.
But two workers trapped at the site in Angeles, north of the capital Manila, died despite rescue efforts.
"The first of the two was pulled out alive, but unfortunately, his body gave out and he did not survive. Doctors could not resuscitate him," regional fire bureau spokeswoman Maria Leah Sajili told the AFP news agency.
"The other one suffered a cardiac arrest around 3:00 am. Doctors could not attend to him as he was still pinned down," she added.
Rescuers carry a dog as they scale down toppled scaffoldings of a collapsed building in Angeles city, 25 May, 2026 AP PhotoCrews pulled another corpse from the rubble on Monday, but it was not immediately clear if the unidentified body belonged to a person listed among the missing, rescuers said in an updated toll.
Due to the uncertainty, authorities said approximately 17 other people were still considered missing, mostly construction workers who were sleeping at the building site when disaster struck.
Lea Casilao, girlfriend of a missing construction worker, told AFP she had taken a bus from her northern Manila home to Angeles with rice and canned goods on Sunday, unaware of the pre-dawn accident on the same day.
"It's very difficult, it is breaking my heart to wait for something uncertain," 47-year-old Casilao said, crying as she recounted how she slept alone at a local government building overnight Sunday.
The death toll rose to four on Monday after the collapse of a hotel under construction near the Philippine capital, with more than a dozen people still believed missing, authorities said.
Two workers pinned beneath the wreckage were found alive after the nine-storey structure gave way on Sunday, hitting a nearby hotel and killing a Malaysian guest.
But two workers trapped at the site in Angeles, north of the capital Manila, died despite rescue efforts.
"The first of the two was pulled out alive, but unfortunately, his body gave out and he did not survive. Doctors could not resuscitate him," regional fire bureau spokeswoman Maria Leah Sajili told the AFP news agency.
"The other one suffered a cardiac arrest around 3:00 am. Doctors could not attend to him as he was still pinned down," she added.
Crews pulled another corpse from the rubble on Monday, but it was not immediately clear if the unidentified body belonged to a person listed among the missing, rescuers said in an updated toll.
Due to the uncertainty, authorities said approximately 17 other people were still considered missing, mostly construction workers who were sleeping at the building site when disaster struck.
Lea Casilao, girlfriend of a missing construction worker, told AFP she had taken a bus from her northern Manila home to Angeles with rice and canned goods on Sunday, unaware of the pre-dawn accident on the same day.
"It's very difficult, it is breaking my heart to wait for something uncertain," 47-year-old Casilao said, crying as she recounted how she slept alone at a local government building overnight Sunday.
Lacking safety gear
Stephanie Batar and her mother Noby told AFP they only learned about the accident on social media from their home in nearby Bulacan province early on Monday and have been unable to contact her 64-year-old father who had been hired only weeks earlier at the job site on a six-month contract.
"I couldn't breathe. I couldn't stand. It's very painful and we did not know what to do," the daughter said.
The cause of the collapse is not known.
Workers cut cables during a search operation at a collapsed building where multiple people are believed to be trapped in Angeles city, 25 May, 2026 AP PhotoRegional labour department director Geraldine Panlilio said she had briefly shut the project down in September 2024 over violations of occupational safety standards.
"Our labour inspectors had monitored poor working conditions, a violation that would put our workers at risk," she said in an interview over Manila radio station DZMM.
The construction workers "lacked safety gear" like hardhats, boots, safety belts and lifelines, and worked under poor lighting and with no visible safety signages, she added.
Construction resumed a month later after the building contractor complied with requirements, Panlilio said.
Officials said up to 70 people were employed at the construction site, though most had gone home for the weekend.
Alfredo Albis, 55, told AFP he was asleep at a barracks for workers about five metres from the structure when it gave way.
Rescuers continue search operations at a collapsed building where multiple people are believed to be trapped in Angeles city, 25 May, 2026 AP Photo"I have two cousins who are still trapped there. They were working here to earn for their families and (they) are missing," he said, adding "there's a possibility that my relatives are dead."
Sajili, the fire bureau spokeswoman, said that "rescue in (a) building collapse is very challenging since any sudden shift triggered by the movements of our rescuers can cause areas to move and people under can get crushed."
If no more survivors are found after a search with thermal scanners, mechanical diggers and other heavy equipment will be brought in to clear debris and recover bodies, she said, but gave no timeline.
Stephanie Batar and her mother Noby told AFP they only learned about the accident on social media from their home in nearby Bulacan province early on Monday and have been unable to contact her 64-year-old father who had been hired only weeks earlier at the job site on a six-month contract.
"I couldn't breathe. I couldn't stand. It's very painful and we did not know what to do," the daughter said.
The cause of the collapse is not known.
Regional labour department director Geraldine Panlilio said she had briefly shut the project down in September 2024 over violations of occupational safety standards.
"Our labour inspectors had monitored poor working conditions, a violation that would put our workers at risk," she said in an interview over Manila radio station DZMM.
The construction workers "lacked safety gear" like hardhats, boots, safety belts and lifelines, and worked under poor lighting and with no visible safety signages, she added.
Construction resumed a month later after the building contractor complied with requirements, Panlilio said.
Officials said up to 70 people were employed at the construction site, though most had gone home for the weekend.
Alfredo Albis, 55, told AFP he was asleep at a barracks for workers about five metres from the structure when it gave way.
"I have two cousins who are still trapped there. They were working here to earn for their families and (they) are missing," he said, adding "there's a possibility that my relatives are dead."
Sajili, the fire bureau spokeswoman, said that "rescue in (a) building collapse is very challenging since any sudden shift triggered by the movements of our rescuers can cause areas to move and people under can get crushed."
If no more survivors are found after a search with thermal scanners, mechanical diggers and other heavy equipment will be brought in to clear debris and recover bodies, she said, but gave no timeline.
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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