Victims in Angeles City building collapse found deep in rubble — PCG

The trapped victims under the collapsed building in Angeles City, Pampanga were found in the deeper portions of the rubble, the Philippine Coast Guard (Philippine Coast Guard) said Tuesday.

The PCG said retrieval operations remain difficult due to the victims’ location and the heavy debris above them.

“Bukod doon sa mga live wires, based sa feedback na natatanggap natin sa ating mga tauhan, sobrang lalim ng locations ng mga victims natin,” said PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab in Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.

(Apart from the live wires, based on feedback from our personnel, the victims are located very deep.)

She said authorities are proceeding with extreme caution in removing debris due to the unstable pile of collapsed materials, including stacked metal scaffolding.

“Kaya we are also very careful in extracting the debris kasi nakita rin natin na yung mga metal scaffoldings ay nagkapatong-patong sa debris," she said.

(We are very careful in extracting the debris because we saw that metal scaffolding is stacked on top of the rubble.)

"Kung magkakaroon ng pagkakamali sa pagtanggal ng debris, maaari pang bumagsak ang mga debris sa area na iyon,” Cayabyab added.

(A mistake in removing it could cause further collapse in the area.)

Search and rescue operations have officially ended after authorities confirmed there were no more signs of life beneath the rubble, the local government said. Operations have shifted to retrieval and clearing.

Four people were confirmed dead, 16 remain missing, and 26 were rescued.

The PCG has deployed K-9 search dogs to help locate remains.

“Kapag nagkaroon na tayo ng identification or signals from the dogs, nilalagyan natin ng flags at nire-report natin (Once the dogs signal a location, we place flags and report it)," she said.

"That’s the time we do the extraction. Again, we consider the safety assessment sa area before extraction,” Cayabyab said.

The PCG also said survival chances under rubble depend on several factors, including access to air, water, body position, and psychological condition.

“Una, ang air supply. Kailangan kahit papaano may nakaka-penetrate na hangin sa location ng mga victims natin,” she said.

(First is air supply—there must be some airflow reaching the victims.)

“And of course, ang pinaka-importante, ang mental condition ng ating biktima. Kailangan kalmado pa rin para ma-preserve ang energy,” she added.

(And most important is the victim’s mental condition—they must remain calm to conserve energy.)

Angeles City Mayor Jon Lazatin has ordered the creation of a composite investigation team composed of structural engineers and concerned agencies to determine the cause of the collapse.—MCG, GMA News