PAMPANGA BUILDING COLLAPSE: Death toll hits 4 as rescuers dig by hand for 17 missing

National

RESCUERS are working in dangerous conditions to find 17 people trapped under a collapsed nine-story building in Barangay Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga.

The huge pile of broken concrete and twisted metal could shift at any moment making the search slow and risky as rescue teams have to clear the heavy debris by hand.

The tragic accident happened early Sunday morning when the building suddenly crashed down between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m leaving four people dead and 26 others injured. There were a total of 47 people inside the building when the disaster struck according to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

In a report by Inquirer.net, Bryan Sytangco, a 46-year-old construction worker, shared his terrifying escape. He woke up at 2:30 a.m. to the sound of crashing rocks right before everything came down on top of the workers' sleeping area.

"I thought I was going to die there," Sytangco said, holding back tears. "Everything happened one after another. I was pinned down, it was dark, and I couldn’t see anything anymore."

Though he was hurt, Sytangco managed to wiggle through a small opening in the wreckage. Once he got out, he showed rescuers exactly where the heaviest concrete fell, because he knew that was where most of his co-workers were sleeping.

By Monday morning, the situation grew worse. The first victim identified was a Malaysian national with a disability, who died when falling debris hit a nearby small hotel.

Three other bodies were pulled from the wreckage later that day, though officials have not shared their names yet.

Outside the ruins, worried families are waiting for any sign of life. Myra Arogante traveled from Quezon province, praying for her 30-year-old son, Ferdinand, a single father who took this construction job to raise his 2-year-old child after wife passed away.

"When I saw the site, I thought he was dead already because who could survive something like that?" his mother said with a shaking voice. "But until now, I’m still hoping. I just hope the rescue operations can move faster."

Government Relief and Assistance

Angeles City Mayor Jon Lazatin II said retrieving lives is the only priority right now. Finding out why the building fell will happen later on. He also called on the building's owner and contractor to come forward and face local officials.

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian on the other hand, said that the government released ₱10,000 in cash each to 34 affected individuals, along with food and hygiene supplies. He pointed out that since construction workers are in a 'no work no pay' situation, their families need immediate support.(April Jane A. Cabalida, CNU Comm Intern)