Manila: At least 15 people died after fire gutted a budget hotel in northern Philippines' Tuguegarao city where a number of nursing graduates were staying ahead of the nationwide board exams on Sunday.
Disaster struck the Sunshine Bed and Breakfast Hotel around 1am.
The nursing graduates and family members of the building's owners were trapped inside the burning five-storey building.
The Bombo Radyo station in a report from Tuguegarao City, quoted Fire Senior Inspector Neil Caranguian as saying that the graduates were about to take their exams for admission to become fully licensed nurses yesterday when the fire broke out.
Smoke inhalation
The graduates were from the University of La Salette in Santago City in Isabela province. There were 36 who planned to take the exams.
Six of them suffered burn injuries and were recovering from the effects of inhaling smoke.
Among those who perished in the fire were Norman Fundavilla, the son of the hotel's owner, as well as the latter's pregnant wife and child.
A report by GMA News TV said some of those killed had apparently been trapped inside the blazing building.
The report said some of the emergency exits in the building were locked and that the fire extinguishers were out of order.
Despite the tragic event at the Sunshine Bed and Breakfast Hotel, the Professional Regulation Commission proceeded to administer the examinations scheduled for yesterday.
Budget lodging accommodations and dormitories in the Philippines, including those in the cities, have a reputation for being virtual firetraps.
While the government requires such establishments to conform to fire and other safety standards, it is often the case that inspecting authorities turn a blind eye on infractions, even if that could cost the lives of patrons.
Fainting relatives
Relatives grieved at a morgue where remains of victims, 14 burned beyond recognition, were brought. Some fainted as body bags were brought into the funeral parlour.
"Their families spent fortunes to send these children to school only to see them end that way," fire investigator Daniel Abana told The Associated Press by telephone.
The fire started on the ground floor, apparently fuelled by car tyres and other combustible materials stored in an automobile parts store. Paint cans also may have been in the building, which was recently renovated, Abana said.
Dozens of guests, roused by the commotion, were rescued by firefighters and police from the still-smouldering building via the main gate and fire escapes. Some managed to escape on their own but others may have panicked and been trapped by the flames, Cagayan police chief Mao Aplasca said.
Aileen Gonzales, an aunt of one of the students believed to have perished in the fire, said what happened had been a double disaster because her nephew died just days before Christmas. Her family hoped the student would pass the nursing exam and work abroad.
Many Filipino students from middle-income and impoverished families have taken nursing courses in recent years in the hope of landing relatively high-paying jobs abroad.
Their mass departure has alarmed officials in the poor Southeast Asian country, which sorely lacks medical workers and hospitals.
— With inputs from agencies
