Infant recovered from rubble in Angeles City building collapse; death toll hits 22
The death toll of the tragic building collapse in Angeles City, Pampanga has reached 22 on June 3, with an infant among the victims.
Search, rescue, and retrieval operations continued on Wednesday in Barangay Balibago while rain poured down.
On June 2, responders pulled from the rubble the body of an infant at 6:01 p.m.
Earlier on Tuesday, they recovered three bodies at 1:56 a.m., 2:07 a.m., and 4:08 a.m. At around the same time, at 1:34 a.m., authorities retrieved the remains of a dog.
Three more victims were extricated at around 1 p.m.
According to a Philippine STAR report, the bodies were turned over to the City Health Office for proper handling, documentation, and disaster victim identification.
On May 24, at least 47 people were affected after a nine-story building in Balibago collapsed during a thunderstorm. Four people were initially reported dead, while 27 were rescued, and 16 are either reported missing or unaccounted for.
Authorities from the Unified Command System called off search-and-rescue operations the next day. They based the decision on data from a Pasig City Local Government Unit Life Locator, which had consistently failed to detect any signs of life in the area.
Since May 26, operations have focused on retrieval and clearing activities.
A criminal case against the owners of the collapsed building and its contractor has been filed before the Angeles City Prosecutor's Office, as per ABS-CBN News.
One of the victim's kin sued owner Ernest Jackson Lim, contractor Johnson Cu, site engineer Arlou Nondong Ligsanan, and other unidentified individuals for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.
