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Hotel building under construction collapses in the Philippines killing five, rescue for 16 missing called off
At least five people have been killed after a hotel building under construction collapsed in Angeles City in the northern Philippines. The rescue operation for 16 missing workers has been called off. Officials say the collapse occurred during work on an unapproved 10th level.
At least five people have been killed after a hotel building under construction collapsed in Angeles City in the northern Philippines. The rescue operation for 16 missing workers has now been called off as an investigation team examines what caused the disaster.
Officials say the collapse occurred during work on what they described as an unapproved 10th level of the building. More than 30 workers were on site at the time. Over 700 rescuers worked around the clock to pull survivors from the rubble, using sniffer dogs and heartbeat detection devices.
The site was extremely unstable as the building was still under construction, consisting mostly of scaffolding and steel structures holding the debris. Rescue teams had to work manually to avoid further collapse and ensure their own safety while searching for trapped workers.
Families gathered at the site in anguish, waiting for news of their loved ones. Some were able to communicate with people trapped inside, but others prepared for the worst. One worker's wife described the devastating uncertainty of not knowing whether her husband had survived.
A worker health and safety organisation has called for a full investigation into the collapse. The construction of an unapproved floor raises serious questions about regulatory oversight and workplace safety standards in the Philippine construction industry, ABC News Australia reported.