Angeles Building Collapse: Another Body Found, 16 Still Missing
Another body was recovered from the Angeles City building collapse site as rescuers continued looking for 16 missing persons.
Search teams found another body in the rubble of a collapsed nine-storey building in Angeles City, Pampanga on Wednesday evening, as authorities continued operations at the disaster site.
According to GMA News, the body was located in Sector 1 of the building at around 6:18 p.m. with help from the Philippine Coast Guard’s canine unit. The discovery came as rescuers continued combing through debris days after the structure went down.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said officials have not given up hope that survivors may still be found under the rubble, even after the operation had earlier shifted toward retrieval when no signs of life were detected. He said there were past cases where people were still found after many days, adding, “Hindi tayo mawawalan ng pag-asa.”
Remulla also said the owner of the construction firm involved in the building had not yet surfaced. He said authorities would issue a subpoena and an airport hold order as questions mount over accountability for the collapse.
Acting Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said the company owner may face criminal charges, including possible Labor Code violations, after reports that workers may have been sleeping inside the construction site and that some families may also have been there. Source: GMA News
