The Philippines has reported that the death toll from a building under construction collapsing near Manila has risen to at least three, while 17 people remain missing amid difficult search and rescue operations.
A nine-story building in Angeles City, north of Manila, collapsed last Sunday. The death toll has now reached at least three, including one Malaysian tourist and two construction workers who were trapped under the rubble but later died despite full efforts by medical teams and rescuers.
Maria Leah Sahili, spokesperson for the regional fire department, told AFP that the first worker was pulled alive from the debris but was critically injured and could not survive. Medical staff were unable to revive him with CPR.
Another worker suffered cardiac arrest around 3:00 a.m., but medical teams could not assist in time because he remained trapped under the rubble.
Meanwhile, 17 people are still missing, mostly construction workers who were resting inside the site at the time of the collapse.
So far, the cause of the collapse remains unknown. Authorities stated that up to 70 workers were normally assigned to the construction site, but most had gone home over the weekend before the incident.
Alfredo Albis, 55, said he was sleeping in workers’ quarters about five meters from the building when it collapsed. He has two cousins still trapped inside who worked there to support their families and are now missing. He acknowledged the possibility that his relatives may have died.
Rescue officials admitted that searching for survivors in the building collapse is a dangerous and complex task, as even slight movements of the debris could cause further structural collapse and crush those trapped below, posing risks to rescuers as well. Therefore, they primarily conduct manual searches and plan to use thermal scanners to detect signs of life beneath the rubble.
However, if no additional survivors are found, authorities plan to bring in excavators and heavy machinery to clear the debris and recover the bodies. No clear timeframe has been set for these operations.
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