Death toll from collapsed Philippine building rises to 13
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Military personnel with a working dog conduct search and rescue operations at a collapsed building in Angeles City, Pampanga province, north of Manila, on May 25.
PHOTO: AFP
ANGELES CITY - The death toll from the collapse of a nine-story building under construction in Barangay Balibago in the Philippines rose to 13 on June 1.
The Bureau of Fire Protection said the latest casualty was extricated at 12.59pm as search, rescue, and retrieval operations continued at the collapse site.
The recovery came hours after responders recovered the 12th casualty at 4.12am, following an overnight operation involving extensive debris removal and the creation of access points within the wreckage.
Authorities have yet to release details on the identity of the latest casualty.
On June 1, authorities confirmed that Elsa Angcao, 50, and her husband, Joey Angcao, 48, were among those recovered from the rubble of the under-construction building that collapsed before dawn on May 24.
According to responders, Elsa was initially located at 5.58pm on May 30 and was extricated at 2.51pm on May 31. While retrieval operations were underway, rescuers discovered Joey’s body nearby. He was later recovered at 3.33pm on May 31.
The couple had operated a small store directly in front of the construction site.
Authorities also confirmed two more construction workers among the fatalities – Larry Sueno and Angelo Demo. Two additional recovered bodies have yet to be identified.
Their deaths add to the growing list of victims believed to have been indirectly affected by the collapse. Among them was Malaysian national Mond Reza Abdullah, 65, who had been staying at a nearby hotel when the structure gave way.
Among the fatalities identified earlier are construction workers Roberto Sabile, 51; his son Christian Sabile, 26; Mark Laurence Capungay, 21; and Porperio Alikaway, 66.
The collapse trapped workers and nearby individuals beneath tons of concrete and debris, triggering an extensive search, rescue, and retrieval operation involving multiple government agencies and volunteer groups.
As rescue operations entered their seventh day, city authorities intensified efforts to determine the cause of the collapse.
Two officials of the Angeles City Building Office – City Building Official Architect Norbert Lagman and City Structural Engineer Marlon Lingat – were placed under preventive suspension for 60 days pending investigation, city legal counsel Darwin Reyes said on May 30.
The suspensions coincided with the creation of the Angeles City Fact-Finding and Investigation Task Force through an executive order signed by Mayor Carmelo Lazatin II.
The body has been tasked with reviewing permits, engineering plans, construction documents and compliance with building and safety regulations.
Lazatin assured the public that a fair investigation would be conducted and that those found responsible would be held accountable.
Representatives of both the building owner and contractor said they would cooperate with the city-led probe.
The contractor’s counsel, lawyer Nico Manguerra, said assistance efforts for affected workers and families remain ongoing, while some victims and relatives claimed they have yet to be contacted by either the owner or contractor. Philippine Daily Inquirer/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
