Search, rescue, and retrieval operations continued Monday at the site of a collapsed nine-storey building under construction in Barangay Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga, where 17 people remained missing.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), local authorities, and partner-agencies were still conducting full-scale operations at the structure along Teodoro Street, which collapsed before dawn and triggered a major emergency response across Central Luzon.
As of 12 noon on May 25, authorities reported that 26 people had been rescued, while four others were confirmed dead.
A total of 267 personnel remained deployed at the site, including members of the BFP Special Rescue Force, emergency medical service teams, and augmentation units from Pampanga, Aurora, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales, Bataan, and the BFP Regional Office III.
Rescue teams continued to work under dangerous and unstable conditions, using rescue trucks, ambulances, firetrucks, technical rescue equipment, and other specialized assets to search for those believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
“Hanggang may mahagip, hanggang may maligtas, tuloy ang operasyon,” the DILG said.
The department said the safety and preservation of life remained the government’s top priority as responders worked around the clock despite the hazards at the collapse site.
“The safety and preservation of life remain our highest priority. We recognize the extraordinary courage of our rescuers who continue to place themselves in harm’s way under extremely dangerous conditions to save others,” the DILG added.
The department extended its sympathies to the families of those who died and those still missing, assuring the public that all concerned agencies remain coordinated and committed to exhausting every possible effort until all individuals are accounted for.
Authorities have also started investigating the circumstances behind the collapse.
The DILG appealed for continued prayers for the victims, the missing, their families, and the rescue personnel working at the scene.