Malaysian among 20 rescued after building collapse in Philippines

MANILA: A 51-year-old Malaysian national is among more than 20 people rescued after a multi-storey building under construction collapsed in the Angeles City on Sunday, reports said.

Angeles city information officer Jay Pelayo told Reuters that the Malaysian was staying in a nearby budget hotel that was damaged when the concrete structure came down.

Rescue efforts were continuing at the site in the city where workers were seen clambering over a mound of concrete slabs and mangled steel covered in green netting as they searched for survivors.

Regional Fire Protection Bureau information officer Maria Leah Sajili said five people were confirmed trapped, two of whom were in contact with rescuers, while 18 more construction workers on duty at the time had not yet been accounted for.

“We have five confirmed trapped victims, and we have a figure of 18 workers from the list of construction workers on duty today, but no feedback yet from their families.

“This brings the estimated number of trapped victims to 23 as of today,” she said in a press briefing.

The number of those rescued, including people in the vicinity of the building, stood at 24, with no deaths reported, Sajili said.

Pelayo said ambulances were on standby and fire trucks had been deployed to assist in the rescue operation, adding that moving the concrete debris was proving a significant challenge for rescuers.

He had earlier told DZBB radio that 30 to 40 people were feared trapped, based on information from a site foreman who was among those who escaped.

Officials said the cause of the collapse was under investigation. Records showed the building was approved as a nine-storey condo-hotel, but a 10th floor intended for a pool was under construction at the time of the collapse.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

المصدر: New Straits Times