ANGELES CITY, Philippines — A construction project spanning nine floors crumbled in the early morning hours of Sunday in Angeles City, located in Pampanga province north of the Philippine capital. Twenty-two workers successfully escaped the collapse while others remain unaccounted for, according to police reports.
The structure came down before sunrise amid a severe thunderstorm. More than 100 police officers and government officials are working frantically to locate and rescue individuals believed to be buried beneath the debris, stated police Brig. Gen. Jess Mendez.
Speaking from the collapse site, Mendez reported no confirmed fatalities at this time, though he noted that several of the 22 workers who managed to flee the building sustained injuries.
The exact number of trapped workers remains unclear. However, Jay Pelayo, who heads Angeles City’s information office, estimated that approximately 30 workers could still be buried in the wreckage, based on information from a construction foreman who escaped as the building fell.
Angeles City previously housed one of the most significant U.S. Air Force installations outside American territory before its closure in the early 1990s. This military presence helped transform Angeles and surrounding communities into major entertainment and business centers within Luzon, the Philippines’ primary northern region.
The former military installation, now known as the Clark Freeport Zone, sits approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Metro Manila.
