Rescuers racing against time a day after deadly building collapse in Pampanga

ANGELES CITY, PAMPANGA — Philippine rescuers raced against time on Monday as they searched for signs of life more than 24 hours after a building under construction collapsed in the city of Angeles, carefully removing rocks and debris by hand in a painstaking operation.

The slow manual search about 80 km (50 miles) north of Manila underscored the difficulty of the rescue effort, which was being carried out under scorching heat. Authorities said heavy equipment could not be used due to fears that the unstable structure could shift further and bury any possible survivors deeper beneath the rubble.

As the delicate search stretched into a second day, families waiting near the disaster site voiced growing frustration and despair, saying they were receiving little information about the fate of their missing loved ones.

“My youngest child keeps asking, but I do not have answers,” said 47-year-old Lea Casilao, whose husband, a construction worker, is believed to be trapped.

“If only the rescuers could call out his name, he might still respond, so I’d have something to hold on to, some hope,” she said, wiping away tears.

Search teams, assisted by K9 units, continued to comb through the debris after overnight thermal scans detected possible signs of life beneath the collapsed structure.

Rescuers also inserted yellow flexible tubes to channel air into voids beneath a tangle of concrete, mangled metal and collapsed scaffolding in an effort to sustain any survivors who may be trapped.

Nearby, Noby Batar pleaded for news of her husband, Emmanuel, who is also believed to be buried under the debris.

“Manny, if you’re not among the dead, please just show yourself. We’re here, and we don’t know whether you’re alive or not. This is so difficult for us because we don’t know what to do,” she said, as her daughter Stephanie cried beside her.

“Give us a sign. We love you very much,” Stephanie added.

INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY

As rescuers recovered a third body from the rubble, officials said the death toll had risen to four, while 17 people remain missing.

One of the two victims retrieved earlier had shown signs of life but later died, Maria Leah Sajili, information officer at the regional Bureau of Fire Protection, said in a phone interview. She added that another victim suffered cardiac arrest while still trapped beneath the debris.

Sajili said more victims could still be found.

Among those killed was a 65-year-old Malaysian national whose body was recovered on Sunday from a nearby hotel building that was also affected by the collapse.

Authorities said an investigation was underway into the cause of the collapse of the multi-storey structure, and efforts were ongoing to locate the building owner to determine how many workers were on site at the time.

Planning records showed the collapsed building was approved as a nine-storey condo-hotel. However, construction had extended to a 10th floor where a swimming pool was being built, officials said.

Geraldine Panlilio, regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment, told DZMM radio that the agency issued a work stoppage order in September 2025 after inspectors found multiple violations of occupational safety and health standards. The order was lifted a month later after the company complied.

— Reporting by Karen Lema, Jay Ereno, Lorenza Lesaba and Noel Celis; Editing by David Stanway / Reuters