At least four people have died and 17 remain missing after a nine-storey hotel under construction collapsed in Angeles City, Philippines, over the weekend. The victims include three construction workers and a Malaysian tourist who was trapped in a nearby budget inn hit by debris.
Rescuers pulled three workers from the rubble on Monday, but one was already dead and another succumbed to injuries shortly after being extricated. A third worker was revived but later died despite efforts to administer water and medicine intravenously in the scorching heat, according to regional police chief Jess Mendez.
The fourth victim was a Malaysian tourist staying at a budget inn partially crushed by the collapse. Another guest at the inn was injured but managed to escape. The building, which housed workers sleeping on the ground floor, gave way after a fierce thunderstorm.
Angeles City mayor Carmelo Lazatin said rescue efforts would continue, with hopes of finding more survivors. “We do not want to give the families of the trapped workers any bad news,” he said. Rescuers are proceeding cautiously due to precariously hanging concrete slabs.
Of the 17 missing, mostly construction workers, one has been located but not yet extricated. At least 26 workers were rescued or escaped. National police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr said an investigation is under way to determine the cause and possible safety violations.
