Manila Construction Site Collapse Results in One Death and Over 20 Trapped

(Manila, 25th) — A nine-story building under construction in the suburbs of the Philippine capital Manila suddenly collapsed on Sunday, affecting a nearby operating hotel, resulting in the death of a Malaysian tourist, more than 20 people being trapped, and 26 others rescued, most of whom were construction workers at the site.

The accident occurred at around 3 a.m. on Sunday (May 24) in Angeles City, Pampanga Province, about 80 kilometers north of Manila. The collapsed building was a hotel under construction, and at least 30 to 40 people were trapped at the time.

Rescue authorities confirmed that a 65-year-old Malaysian tourist was unfortunately killed. His body was found in a serviced apartment hotel beside the collapsed building. It is believed there are also people trapped inside this hotel.

According to the Angeles City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, as of 2:30 p.m., 24 people had been rescued from the collapsed construction site, and another two were rescued from the affected serviced apartment hotel, including a 51-year-old Malaysian man. Authorities are still verifying and coordinating the situation at the scene and in the surrounding area to determine the exact number of affected individuals.

According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, rescuers are carefully searching the rubble of the collapsed building. It is initially believed that 23 people are still trapped, some of whom are still able to maintain contact with the outside world. Rescuers are working to break through the barriers of concrete and steel as quickly as possible to get them out. However, authorities have so far been unable to confirm the exact number of those trapped.

An engineer at the site said there are usually about 19 workers staying overnight at the site, but a site supervisor who managed to escape estimated that at least 30 people were at the site at the time of the incident.

Philippine Public Works Secretary Diokno visited the site that morning and said rescuers detected signs of life under the rubble. To ensure the safety of those trapped, manual rescue efforts would be carried out.

"The biggest challenge right now is that the site is unstable, with a lot of scaffolding and rebar supporting the remaining debris, so a manual rescue must be carried out."

On-site video footage shows a large area of the building collapsing, with walls and scaffolding badly twisted, and a large amount of concrete and steel piled on the ground.

Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the collapse, but there are reports that heavy rain the day before may have been a contributing factor. It is understood that local municipal engineering units have begun checking construction records and building designs to clarify whether the incident involved construction quality, structural safety, or management negligence.

A local deliveryman named Bernardo told AFP that he had just delivered food on the same street as the collapsed building when the accident occurred. "A few seconds later, there was a loud bang. When I looked, I realized the building had collapsed. Thank God I escaped unharmed."