Rescuers in Angeles City continued a painstaking manual search more than 24 hours after a partly built structure collapsed, avoiding heavy machinery to prevent further shifting of unstable wreckage. Thermal scans and K9 teams detected possible signs of life, and crews used flexible tubes to channel air into voids. Officials reported four deaths and 17 people still missing, including a 65-year-old Malaysian national recovered from a neighbouring hotel. An investigation is under way amid questions about whether the site exceeded its permitted design.
Philippine Rescuers Race to Find Survivors After Angeles Building Collapse; Death Toll Rises to Four
Policemen talk to workers as they leave their site accommodation at the foot of the nine-storey building that collapsed under construction in Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, May 25, 2026. REUTERS/Noel Celis
ANGELES, Philippines, May 25 (Reuters) - Rescuers in Angeles City were racing against the clock on Monday to find any signs of life more than 24 hours after a partly built structure collapsed, as teams painstakingly cleared rocks and debris by hand.
Rescue workers use a search-and-rescue dog as they look for trapped survivors among the debris of a collapsed nine-storey building under construction in Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, May 25, 2026. REUTERS/Noel Celis
The slow, manual operation roughly 80 km (50 miles) north of Manila highlighted how precarious the rescue effort was under searing heat. Crews avoided excavators and heavy machinery for fear the unstable wreckage could shift and push survivors deeper beneath concrete and steel.
Rescue workers search for trapped survivors among the debris of a collapsed nine-storey building under construction in Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, May 25, 2026. REUTERS/Noel Celis
Search teams, supported by K9 units, continued to comb the debris after overnight thermal scans indicated possible heartbeats and breathing beneath the collapsed building. Rescuers inserted yellow flexible tubes to channel fresh air into voids within a tangle of concrete, twisted metal and fallen scaffolding.
Rescue workers search for survivors among debris after a nine-story building under construction collapsed in Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, May 24, 2026. REUTERS/Noel Celis
Relatives gathered near the scene expressed mounting frustration and anguish over a lack of information about missing loved ones. "My youngest child keeps asking, but I do not have answers," said 47-year-old Lea Casilao, whose husband, a construction worker, is believed to be trapped under the rubble. "If only the rescuers could call out his name, he might still respond — I'd have something to hold on to, some hope," she added, wiping away tears.
Rescue workers retrieve the body of a victim among debris as a nine-story building under construction collapsed in Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, May 24, 2026. REUTERS/Noel Celis
Nearby, Noby Batar pleaded for news of her husband, Emmanuel, who is also believed to be buried beneath the mass of concrete and steel. Her daughter Stephanie sobbed: "Give us a sign, we love you very much."
Rescue workers search for survivors among debris as a nine-storey building under construction collapsed in Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, May 24, 2026. REUTERS/Noel Celis TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Investigation Underway
Officials said the death toll had risen to four after rescuers pulled a third body from the debris, and 17 people remained listed as missing. Maria Leah Sajili, information officer at the regional Bureau of Fire Protection, said one of two victims retrieved earlier had a pulse when pulled out but later died, while another suffered cardiac arrest while still trapped. Sajili warned there could be additional victims.
Rescue workers retrieve the body of a victim among debris as a nine-story building under construction collapsed in Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, May 24, 2026. REUTERS/Noel Celis
Among the dead was a 65-year-old Malaysian national whose body was recovered from a neighbouring hotel that was also affected by the collapse.
Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the multi-storey building's failure and are trying to locate the building owner to clarify how many workers were on site. Planning documents indicated the project was permitted as a nine-storey condo-hotel, but officials said a swimming pool was being built on an additional 10th level, a detail that raised questions about compliance with approved plans.
Geraldine Panlilio, regional director of the Department of Labour and Employment, told DZMM radio the agency issued a stop-work order in September after inspectors found multiple occupational health and safety violations; the order was reportedly lifted a month later after the company addressed the cited issues.
(Reporting by Karen Lema, Jay Ereno, Lorenza Lesaba and Noel Celis; Editing by David Stanway)
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