67-year-old Malaysian dies in Manila pension house fire

MANILA, Philippines – A 67-year-old Malaysian died while trapped inside a burning pension house in Malate, Manila, on Saturday afternoon. Fire probers identified the victim as Balakrizhnan Attavu, who was billeted in Room 116 of Jowards Pension House at the corner of Adriatico and Alonzo Streets. Firefighters conducting clearing operations later on found the Malaysian sprawled near the toilet. He had no burns, an indication that he could have been suffocated by the smoke, according to Fire Officer 2 Lords Hernandez of the Manila Fire Department Arson Division. The fire broke out at 2:08 p.m. in Room 108 and reached the third alarm. Firefighters managed to put it out at about 2:40 p.m. Firefighters managed to rescue two woman occupants of the pension house. Hernandez said the Malaysian had already left his room when the fire broke out, but he decided to return to save his belongings. "Many saw him leaving his unit, but he apparently went back, and no one noticed that he was trapped there, because the others were busy trying to get to safety," Hernandez said. Damage to property was placed at P500,000. Probers are still determining the cause of fire. The Malaysian had been in the country for two months and was scheduled to go back to his homeland on December 21. - GMANews.TV