MANILA, Philippines — In a miraculous turn of events, two individuals feared to be trapped under the debris of a collapsed building in the Philippines were found alive and in communication with the rescue team on Sunday, according to an official statement. The rescue operations are still ongoing.
“The trapped individuals are maintaining constant communication with us. We are still waiting for more information, but our rescue team is working tirelessly to extract the survivors from the wreckage,” said Jay Pelayo, the information officer for Angeles City, located north of the capital, Manila, in a conversation with Reuters.
The number of people rescued from the nine-story building, which was under construction when it collapsed, has now reached 24, including those in the surrounding area. Thankfully, no fatalities have been reported so far, Pelayo confirmed in a telephonic interview. Among the rescued was a 51-year-old Malaysian national who was residing in a nearby budget hotel, which suffered damage when the concrete structure gave way.
The exact number of people still trapped under the debris remains uncertain. A site engineer reported that 19 people were working at the construction site, Pelayo added. ”We are trying to ascertain whether all 19 were present at the site during the incident.”
Pelayo had earlier informed DZBB radio that the number of people feared trapped could be between 30 to 40, based on information provided by a site foreman who managed to escape the disaster.
The cause of the collapse is still under investigation. The city engineer is currently reviewing the construction history of the building, Pelayo mentioned. He also added that removing the concrete debris has posed a significant challenge for the rescue team.
Images shared by DZBB depict the building reduced to a pile of concrete and twisted metal, draped in green netting. Ambulances are on standby, and heavy machinery is en route to assist in the ongoing rescue operations, Pelayo confirmed.
Good punctuation and grammar. Disagree.
Disagree with the rescue operations.