ANGELES, Philippines — Emergency crews recovered two construction workers from the debris of a collapsed nine-story hotel building early Monday morning in a northern Philippine city, raising the fatality count to three while 17 people remain unaccounted for, according to local authorities.
The first worker was found deceased, while rescue teams worked frantically in the pre-dawn hours attempting to save the second worker’s life inside an ambulance positioned near the massive debris field of concrete chunks, mangled steel rods, and twisted aluminum framework that once formed the structure in Angeles City, located in Pampanga Province. Medical personnel ultimately ceased their revival attempts and departed the scene.
This heartbreaking moment unfolded before a small gathering of reporters, including representatives from The Associated Press, who observed as hundreds of emergency responders — primarily firefighters and law enforcement — worked tirelessly for hours to free the two workers, who had been conscious but pinned beneath heavy concrete and metal beams.
Emergency teams attempted to deliver fluids and medications through IV lines to one of the pinned workers amid the wreckage in a frantic bid to sustain him through the intense summer temperatures, regional police chief Brig. Gen. Jess Mendez explained to the AP.
“He never made it despite all the efforts,” he said.
The third fatality involved a Malaysian visitor who had been staying at a nearby budget lodging facility that sustained partial damage from the cascade of falling debris. A second guest at the same establishment suffered injuries but successfully escaped, authorities reported.
Following the thunderous collapse of the incomplete structure after severe storm activity, Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin announced that search and rescue operations would continue rather than transitioning to body recovery mode.
“My best hope is that we can rescue more people alive,” Lazatin told the AP. “We don’t want to give the families of the trapped workers any bad news.”
Growing distress and concern grip the family members of those still buried, who maintain vigil in temporary shelters erected close to the wreckage site.
“I’m losing hope because of what I see— slow rescue work,” said Lea Mendoza Casilao, a 47-year-old sardine factory worker whose boyfriend, a mason, was among those still trapped in the rubble.
She had delivered a week’s worth of rice and canned fish for him at the job site, but explained they would never have their planned weekend meeting after the structure where he had been resting collapsed in the early Sunday morning hours.
Lazatin explained that rescue personnel were proceeding with extreme caution due to massive concrete sections being supported only by tangled aluminum framework that could potentially fall and endanger the rescue teams.
A total of 26 construction workers either escaped or were successfully extracted from the failing structure, where they had been sleeping on plywood sheets at ground level. Among the 17 workers who remain missing, one has been spotted but rescue teams have not yet been able to reach him, officials confirmed.
National police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. announced his department will assist with an “ongoing investigation to determine the cause of the incident and possible violations of safety and building regulations.”
Angeles City previously served as the location for one of America’s most significant Air Force installations beyond the continental United States, transforming Angeles and surrounding communities into major entertainment and business centers within the primary northern Philippine island of Luzon.
Clark Air Base, situated approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Manila, ceased operations in the early 1990s.
The former military installation has evolved into a thriving industrial and tourist destination known as the Clark Freeport Zone, and remains encircled by vestiges of the American military era including adult entertainment districts, drinking establishments, nightlife venues, tattoo parlors and affordable accommodations.
