Building collapse in Philippines leaves 3 dead, 17 missing

Rescuers search for survivors after thermal scans show signs of breathing and heartbeats beneath debris.Rescuers have pulled two people from the rubble of a collapsed building under construction in the Philippines, bringing the death toll to three, officials have said, as crews continue search and rescue operations at the site.One of the two victims had a pulse when he was retrieved, but later died, while another suffered cardiac arrest while still trapped, Maria Leah Sajili, an information officer at Bureau of Fire Protection, said in a phone interview with the Reuters news agency on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Cuba thanks China for rice shipment amid worsening humanitarian conditionslist 2 of 4Ecuador’s Noboa pledges to extradite criminals in State of the Union speechlist 3 of 4Syria holds legislative elections in former Kurdish-controlled areaslist 4 of 4Oil prices fall amid mixed signals on US-Iran peace dealend of listOfficials said an investigation is under way into what caused the collapse of the multistorey building in the city of Angeles, north of the capital, Manila.Rescuers were also working to retrieve another body buried under the debris, Sajili said, but it would only be added to the official toll once it has been recovered.Sajili said there could be more victims trapped, after thermal scans detected signs of breathing and heartbeats beneath the rubble.The number of missing stood at 17, most of them construction workers listed as being on duty at the site, Sajili said.Officials said up to 70 people were employed at the construction site, though most had gone home for the weekend.Alfredo Albis, 55, told the AFP news agency he was asleep at a barracks for workers about 5 metres (16 feet) from the structure when it gave way.“I have two cousins who are still trapped there. They were working here to earn for their families and [they] are missing,” he said, adding that “there’s a possibility that my relatives are dead”.Sajili, the fire bureau spokeswoman, said that “rescue in [a] building collapse is very challenging, since any sudden shift triggered by the movements of our rescuers can cause areas to move and people under can get crushed”.