In Angeles, Philippines, rescue teams worked tirelessly to save three individuals trapped in the debris of a nine-story hotel under construction that collapsed. The operation confirmed four fatalities, with 17 others still missing. Two men found in the rubble were deceased, and emergency personnel attempted to revive another in an ambulance. Despite their efforts, they could not save him.
Journalists, including those from The Associated Press, witnessed the challenging scene. Hundreds of rescuers, led by firefighters and police, labored for hours to extract the individuals who were alive but trapped under concrete slabs and tangled iron bars. Rescuers tried to provide water and medication intravenously to keep one man alive in the sweltering summer heat, according to Brigadier General Jess Mendez, the regional police chief.
“He didn’t make it despite all efforts,” Mendez stated. One of the three individuals rescued was unidentified and not among the listed 17 missing persons, who were primarily construction workers, said Jay Pelayo, the information officer for Angeles City. The fourth fatality was a Malaysian tourist trapped in an inn partially struck by debris.
Another inn guest was injured but managed to escape. Angeles Mayor Carmelo Lazatin reported that the day following the building’s collapse during a thunderstorm, rescue efforts were still ongoing. “My greatest hope is that we can rescue more people alive,” said Lazatin. “We don’t want to give the families of the trapped workers any bad news.”
The anxiety and fear among the families of the trapped workers have grown. “I am losing hope by the slow rescue pace,” said Lea Mendoza Casilao, a 47-year-old sardine factory worker, whose boyfriend, a construction worker, was among those trapped. She brought rice and sardines to the site, but she noted they would never meet as planned over the weekend, after the building collapsed before dawn on Sunday.
Lazatin explained that rescuers were advancing cautiously due to precarious concrete slabs held by tangled aluminum scaffolding. A total of 26 workers were rescued or managed to escape from the building collapse, where they slept on plywood sheets on the ground floor. National police chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. stated that their team would support an ongoing investigation to determine the incident’s cause and any potential safety and construction violations.
Angeles City once hosted one of the largest U.S. Air Force bases outside the mainland United States, which contributed to turning Angeles and nearby locations into entertainment and commercial hubs in Luzon’s main northern region. The Clark Air Base, around 80 kilometers north of Manila, closed in the early 1990s and has transformed into an active industrial and tourist area known as the Clark Freeport Zone. The area remains surrounded by remnants of its base era, including prostitution zones, bars, nightclubs, tattoo parlors, and budget hotels.