Rescue Efforts Underway After Hotel Collapse in the Philippines

In Angeles, Philippines, rescue workers pulled three people from the debris of a collapsed nine-story hotel under construction early Monday. The collapse has confirmed four deaths, while 17 people remain missing. Authorities reported that two men found in the wreckage were deceased. Rescue personnel attempted to revive another man in an ambulance, near the concrete, iron bars, and aluminum scaffolding debris that was once the building in Pampanga province.

A small group of journalists, including those from The Associated Press, witnessed the scene. Hundreds of rescuers, led by firefighters and police, worked tirelessly to extricate the men, who were alive but trapped beneath the rubble. They attempted to provide water and intravenous medication to one of the trapped men, struggling to sustain him under the intense summer heat, according to regional police chief Brigadier General Jess Mendez.

“Despite all efforts, he didn’t make it,” expressed Mendez.

Among the three individuals rescued on Monday, one was unidentified and not on the list of 17 missing people, mainly construction workers, said Jay Pelayo, the city’s chief information officer. The fourth fatality was a Malaysian tourist trapped in a budget inn partially hit by the building’s debris. Authorities noted that another inn guest sustained injuries but managed to escape.

Angeles Mayor Carmelo Lazatin stated that the rescue efforts, following the building’s collapse after a severe thunderstorm, had not yet transitioned into a recovery operation. “My greatest hope is that we can save more lives,” Lazatin told the AP. “We want to avoid delivering bad news to the families of the trapped workers.”

Fear and anxiety gripped the families of the trapped workers, waiting in nearby sheds. “I’m losing hope because of the slow rescue,” said Lea Mendoza Casilao, a 47-year-old sardine factory worker. Her boyfriend, a construction worker, was among those still trapped. She had brought a week’s supply of rice and sardines to the site, but noted they would no longer meet on the weekend as planned, after the building where he slept collapsed early Sunday.

Lazatin explained that rescuers were proceeding with caution, as large concrete slabs precariously supported by tangled aluminum scaffolding threatened to collapse on them. Twenty-six workers were rescued or managed to flee the collapsing structure, where they had been sleeping on plywood sheets on the ground floor.

National police chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. indicated that his personnel would support an ongoing investigation to determine the cause of the incident and any potential violations of safety and building regulations.

Angeles city once hosted one of the largest U.S. Air Force bases outside mainland U.S., contributing to its growth as a hub of entertainment and commerce in Luzon’s main northern region. Although the Clark Air Base, located roughly 80 kilometers north of Manila, closed in the early 1990s, it has transformed into a bustling industrial and tourism hub known as the Clark Freeport Zone. The area retains remnants of its military past, including prostitution zones, bars, nightclubs, tattoo studios, and budget hotels.