Before and after: Hope fades under the rubble as death toll climbs in Philippine building collapse — 20 remain trapped

Rescuers pulled two more construction workers from the wreckage of a collapsed nine-story hotel before dawn Monday, but both later died, deepening fears for at least 20 others still believed trapped beneath tonnes of concrete, twisted steel, and shattered scaffolding, rescuers said.

The unfinished condo-hotel in Barangay Balibago collapsed on Sunday after heavy rains battered the area in one of the country’s worst construction disasters in recent years.

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. ordered the mobilisation of personnel and assets to speed up the rescue of about 20 workers believed to be trapped in the collapsed structure.

Most of the missing are construction workers believed to have been inside the building when the structure suddenly gave way on Sunday.

It's not immediately clear what caused the building to collapse.

'Pancake' collapse

Authorities said the structure appeared to suffer a “pancake collapse,” where floors crashed directly onto each other, complicating rescue efforts.

Emergency crews worked through the night using cranes, cutters, thermal scanners, rescue dogs, and heartbeat detectors in a desperate attempt to locate survivors.

Hundreds of firefighters, police officers, soldiers, and disaster-response personnel remained on site Monday as floodlights illuminated the mangled debris field.

One of the workers retrieved early Monday was declared dead at the scene, while another briefly showed signs of life as medics attempted resuscitation inside an ambulance parked beside the rubble. He later succumbed despite emergency treatment.

“The rescuers did everything they could,” Police Regional Office-3 chief Police Brig. Gen. Jess Mendez told reporters, adding that responders had even tried to administer water and intravenous fluids to trapped workers beneath the debris in the intense heat.

“He never made it despite all the efforts,” Mendez said.

Authorities said one of the confirmed fatalities was a 65-year-old Malaysian tourist staying in a nearby budget inn partially crushed by the collapsing structure. Another guest survived after escaping from the damaged apartelle.

Rescue mission

Despite the mounting death toll, Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin said authorities were still treating the operation as a rescue mission rather than a retrieval effort.

“My best hope is that we can rescue more people alive,” Lazatin said. “We don’t want to give the families of the trapped workers any bad news.”

Relatives gathered under temporary tents near the collapse site, anxiously waiting for updates as rescuers carefully chipped away at unstable slabs suspended by tangled metal supports.

“I’m losing hope because of what I see — slow rescue work,” said Lea Mendoza Casilao, whose boyfriend, a mason, remains among those missing.

She said she had brought rice and sardines to the site days earlier, expecting to spend time with him over the weekend before the building suddenly gave way.

Officials said at least 26 workers either escaped or were rescued alive after the collapse. Many laborers had reportedly been sleeping on plywood sheets on the ground floor when the structure crumbled around 3 a.m. Sunday.

Investigators are now probing possible violations of safety and building regulations.

Probe

Philippine National Police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said authorities would support an “ongoing investigation to determine the cause of the incident and possible violations of safety and building regulations.”

Initial findings reported by local and international media indicated the project had permits for a nine-story condo-hotel, but a 10th floor with a swimming pool was reportedly being added before the collapse.

The tragedy unfolded near the former Clark Air Base, once among the largest overseas installations of the US Air Force.

The surrounding area has since transformed into the bustling Clark Freeport Zone — a major tourism, gaming, and industrial hub north of Manila.

Yet remnants of its old entertainment district remain visible in nearby Angeles City, where budget hotels and shops stand beside rapidly rising commercial developments.