Philippine rescuers search for survivors after Angeles building collapse

Rescuers in Angeles City worked through the ruins of a nine-story building under construction, removing rocks and debris by hand after the structure gave way around 3 a.m. Sunday on Teodoro Street in Barangay Balibago. Thermal scans detected heartbeats and breathing beneath the rubble, keeping alive the hope that more people could still be found in the unstable wreckage about 80 kilometers north of Manila.

By Monday, authorities said four people had died and 17 remained missing. At least 26 others had been rescued from the collapse site and nearby affected areas. One of the dead was identified as 65-year-old Malaysian national Mohd Rezal bin Abdullah, who had been able to communicate by phone while pinned under a neighboring wall before he was recovered lifeless.

The rescue effort moved in narrow, cautious steps because heavy machinery could have worsened the collapse or buried survivors deeper. The Bureau of Fire Protection divided the site into four operational areas and deployed K9 dogs, while yellow flexible tubes were used to push air into voids under the debris. Multiple agencies joined the operation, including the Philippine Army, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and regional urban search-and-rescue teams.

Most of the people inside were asleep when the building came down, deepening the urgency of the operation and the uncertainty for families waiting at the scene. Lea Casilao said her husband was among those believed trapped. Noby Batar and other relatives pleaded for news of Emmanuel, whose fate remained unknown as rescuers worked under the hot conditions and unstable concrete.

The collapse also quickly became an accountability test. Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said around 20 construction workers were still trapped, while local officials activated a Unified Command System to coordinate the response. Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin urged the building’s owner to coordinate with authorities and help verify the number of affected workers.

The building was reportedly being developed as a hotel and was already in its finishing stages. Some reports said a 10th-floor roof deck had been added after the original permit, raising questions about whether the project had changed without adequate review. A lawmaker from Akbayan later said the collapse showed the need for a stronger Philippine building law.

For now, the site remains both a rescue zone and a warning: every hour matters for those still inside, and every unanswered question matters for the workers, families and neighbors left to confront how a modern building failed so catastrophically.