Death toll in building collapse rises to 6
ANGELES CITY—Nearly a week after a nine-story building collapsed into a mass of concrete and twisted steel in Barangay Balibago here, the death toll climbed to six on Friday, but a faint signal beneath the rubble gave exhausted responders and grieving families something they have been desperately holding on to—hope.
Authorities said rescue radar equipment detected four moving entities beneath the debris at 2:50 p.m., prompting responders to focus operations on the identified sector in hopes that survivors may still be trapped inside the collapsed structure.
Earlier in the day, responders from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Baguio City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reportedly heard knocking sounds coming from beneath the rubble in Sector 1 of the incident area.
A Philippine Coast Guard K9 unit was immediately deployed and indicated the possible presence of an entity within the debris, while rescue teams conducted sweeping operations using rescue radar and life locator equipment within a 30-meter radius.
Authorities, however, clarified that the detected movements do not automatically confirm the presence of human survivors, explaining that rescue radar can detect any form of movement or life signs, including animals such as rodents, cats, or dogs.
Despite this, Mayor Carmelo Lazatin II ordered responders to intensify search and rescue efforts in hopes that survivors could still be found beneath the debris nearly a week after the building collapsed before dawn on May 24.
Authorities on Friday identified the latest fatalities recovered from the collapse site as Roberto Sabile and his son Christian Sabile, who were among the construction workers trapped beneath the rubble.
Father, son
Christian, 26, was retrieved from the hot zone at around 7:57 a.m. on Thursday following overnight extrication operations after responders discovered his body beneath the debris Wednesday evening.
His father, Roberto, 51, was later recovered at around 12:40 a.m. on Friday as retrieval operations continued overnight inside the unstable collapse site.
Fire Supt. Maria Leah Sajili, regional public information officer of the BFP-Central Luzon, confirmed that the two victims were among the workers inside the under-construction structure when it collapsed before dawn on Sunday.
The collapse has so far claimed the lives of two other construction workers—Mark Laurence Capungay, 21, and Porperio Alikaway, 66.
Also among the fatalities was Malaysian national Mond Reza Abdullah, 65, who had been staying at a nearby hotel affected by the incident, while another male victim has yet to be identified.
Owner, contractor surface
The Angeles City government confirmed that the owner and contractor of the collapsed structure have finally reached out to authorities and expressed willingness to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
Project records, according to Lazatin, showed that Golden Years Construction and Steelworks Corp. secured the project permit in 2023.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said a subpoena will be issued, while the BFP-Central Luzon is also assessing possible liability of the contractor and the owner of the collapsed building. —WITH A REPORT FROM JASON SIGALES
