Angeles City building collapse death toll climbs to 7

The death toll from the collapse of a building under construction in Barangay Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga, has risen to seven, authorities said on Sunday.

According to the Angeles City Information Office, the update was reported to Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II at 7:50 a.m. after a search and retrieval team recovered the remains of a male victim from the debris.

The body was tagged and documented by the City Health Office as part of Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) protocol to ensure the victim is properly identified.

Lazatin added a vaccination card containing a name that was also found is a possible way to identify the victim.

He said the remains will undergo a careful verification process and an official announcement will only be made until the DVI process is completed.

Meanwhile, authorities said the ongoing search and rescue, retrieval, at clearing operations of the Unified Command of the collapsed nine-story structure will continue a week after the incident.

The city government also said it will continue in providing assistance and support to the families affected by the tragedy.

On Saturday, one of the lawyers said that the owner of the building is willing to help the victims and seeks to conduct an independent investigation into the incident. —RF, GMA News