Dozens Feared Trapped After 9-Story Building Under Construction Collapses in Angeles City

Photo: Angeles City Information Office / Facebook

At least 26 people have been rescued and dozens more remain trapped after a nine-story hotel under construction collapsed in Barangay Balibago early Sunday morning, May 24, 2026.

A massive multi-agency rescue effort is currently underway at the intersection of Oak Street and Teodoro Street in Old Sta. Maria. Emergency workers are racing against time to clear heavy concrete debris.

Photo: Bureau of Fire Protection Central Luzon / Facebook

The Collapse and Immediate Impact

The concrete structure, which was being developed as a hotel or apartahotel, crumbled around 3:00 a.m. following a severe overnight thunderstorm that brought heavy rainfall and strong winds across Central Luzon.

According to Angeles City Public Information Officer Jay Pelayo, the impact of the structural failure extended to adjacent establishments. The collapse heavily damaged a nearby apartelle, as well as the former Lorietas Building and Norma's Money Changer.

Rescues and Discrepancies in the Missing Count

Emergency response teams under the Angeles City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (ACDRRMO) successfully pulled 24 individuals from the immediate rubble. An additional two individuals were safely evacuated from the damaged apartelle.

According to city updates:

8 Passersby and Motorists: Eight individuals who happened to be in the immediate vicinity during the early morning collapse sustained minor abrasions. They are currently in stable condition.

11 Escaped Workers: The project foreman and 10 construction workers managed to flee the crumbling site unscathed.

Trapped Estimates: The exact number of people trapped remains unverified, with estimates fluctuating between 20 and 40 individuals. Regional Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Information Officer Maria Leah Sajili stated that official rosters show at least 18 workers scheduled for the shift remain unaccounted for, alongside 5 confirmed trapped individuals.

Search and Rescue Operations

Angeles City Mayor Carmelo "Jon" Lazatin II arrived at ground zero to directly supervise operations under an activated Unified Command System. Under this framework:

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is spearheading rescue and structural retrieval. The Philippine National Police (PNP) and Central Luzon Police Chief Brig. Gen. Jess Mendez are managing tight security, traffic rerouting, and crowd control. Volunteer Groups like the Philippine Red Cross have mobilized assets to provide medical support.

Rescuers have reported hearing muffled voices coming from beneath the massive concrete slabs, providing a glimmer of hope for survivors.

On-Scene Obstacles and Pending Investigation

Despite the signs of life, rescue operations are facing severe bottlenecks. Teams are forced to work carefully around large chunks of concrete and highly dangerous, live downed power lines that have restricted the deployment of heavy excavation machinery.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon stated that the government’s absolute priority is the search and rescue phase. The local government unit intends to launch a comprehensive investigation into the building’s construction history, engineering compliance, and safety permits once the scene is cleared. Local officials have noted they are still trying to establish direct contact with the project's contractor.

PCG locates missing victims deep in rubble of collapsed Angeles City building; rescue shifts to retrieval

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed Tuesday, May 26, 2026, that trapped victims have been located deep within the rubble of the collapsed nine-story building along Teodoro Street in Barangay Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga.

The PCG stated that recovery and extraction teams face massive challenges due to the depth of the victims' location and the extensive layers of heavy debris above them.

Search Operations Shift to Retrieval

Following nearly two days of continuous manual and technical searching, the Unified Command System officially terminated the search and rescue phase at 8:27 p.m. on Monday, May 25. Operations transitioned into a search-and-retrieval phase on Tuesday morning.

The decision to end rescue efforts came after specialized Life Locator devices and K9 units deployed by the Pasig City local government and emergency agencies detected no remaining signs of life.

Casualties and Missing Persons

A total of 47 individuals were affected when the under-construction structure suddenly buckled at around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 24. The latest official data includes:

27 survivors pulled alive from the wreckage.

4 confirmed fatalities, including a Malaysian national.

16 to 17 individuals who remain missing or unaccounted for beneath the concrete slabs.

Most of those trapped are construction workers who were sleeping in the on-site barracks when the building collapsed. The structural failure also compromised a neighboring apartelle, injuring several individuals nearby.

Dignity in Recovery and On-Going Investigation

Despite the grim transition to retrieval, Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin II ordered all responding units to handle the victims' remains with the utmost respect and dignity. Heavy machinery and response assets from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the Philippine Army, and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) remain on standby to aid the PCG in clearing the heavy debris.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has launched a full investigation into the exact cause of the structural failure.

Death Toll Climbs to 6 in Angeles Building Collapse; Illegal Rooftop Pool Probed

May 29, 2026 - The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Central Luzon confirmed that the death toll from the collapse of a nine-story building under construction has reached six. This comes after search and retrieval teams recovered another body from the wreckage early Friday morning.

Breakthrough Recovery Amid High-Risk Operations

Disaster response teams initially located the sixth casualty on Thursday evening at Sector 1 of the disaster site along Teodoro Street in Barangay Balibago. Following a highly strategic and dangerous extraction process, responders successfully pulled the unidentified victim from the unstable rubble at 12:40 AM today, May 29.

This recovery closely follows the extraction of the fifth fatality, a male worker, who was pulled from the debris at 7:57 AM on Thursday after an arduous 11-hour manual cutting operation. Officials noted that crews are heavily relying on hand tools to cut through twisted steel scaffolding and concrete slabs. This painstaking method is required to prevent further structural shifts that could endanger responders or further disfigure victims trapped underneath.

Search Status and Casualties Overview

A total of 47 individuals were affected when the commercial structure suddenly caved in at around 3:00 AM on Sunday, May 24, trapping workers while they slept in on-site barracks. The 47 individuals affected by the incident include 26 rescued survivors receiving medical care, six confirmed fatalities including the victim recovered today, and 15 workers who remain missing under the debris.

While local authorities and the Angeles City Information Office initially shifted the mission from "search and rescue" to "retrieval and clearing" on Monday night due to a lack of life signals, full-scale operations continue. Specialized teams—including the BFP Special Rescue Force, the Philippine Coast Guard K-9 units, and the Philippine Army—remain deployed around the clock.

Unapproved Rooftop Pool Under Investigation

As retrieval efforts push forward, a parallel investigation is being spearheaded by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Initial structural assessments indicate a critical compliance failure: the construction of a massive swimming pool on the roof deck. Investigators revealed that this heavy rooftop addition was not part of the government-approved building plans, heavily suggesting that the unauthorized structural load may have triggered the catastrophic collapse.

The building owner and contractor, who are now coordinating with the Angeles City local government, face potential criminal charges under the Revised Penal Code and the National Building Code of the Philippines for structural negligence.

Death Toll Climbs to 7 in Angeles City Building Collapse

The death toll from the collapsed nine-story building on Teodoro Street in Barangay Balibago has risen to seven, local authorities confirmed on Sunday morning, May 31, 2026.

Responders from the Unified Command recovered the body of an unidentified male victim from the debris at around 7:50 AM. According to reports from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Central Luzon and the Angeles City Information Office, the casualty was extricated from Quadrant 2 of the disaster site.

The remains have been transferred to the City Health Office, where forensic teams are conducting Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) protocols to establish the man's identity.

The fatal collapse involved an unfinished commercial structure that caved in earlier this week, trapping construction workers beneath tons of pulverized concrete and mangled steel. Prior fatalities documented by emergency units include laborers on site and a guest staying at an adjacent hotel property.

Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin II stated that search and retrieval operations will continue until every missing person accounted for on the site log is found. Local building officials have launched an investigation into the construction firm and the structural integrity of the project to determine the exact cause of the disaster.

K-9 units and structural engineers remain on-scene as heavy machinery carefully clears the remaining rubble without endangering potential survivors or retrieval teams.

Angeles City Building Collapse Death Toll Climbs to 17 After Latest Recovery

June 2, 2026 - The confirmed death toll from the catastrophic collapse of a nine-story hotel building under construction in Barangay Balibago has risen to 17.

According to reports from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Central Luzon, rescue teams extricated the body of the 17th fatality from the rubble past 4:00 a.m. today, Tuesday, June 2. Emergency responders recovered two bodies from the site early Tuesday morning as retrieval operations intensified.

The under-construction structure, located along Teodoro Street, suddenly pancaked on May 24, trapping dozens of construction workers who were sleeping in on-site barracks.

Painstaking Retrieval Operations Continue

Heavy equipment, cutting tools, and specialized K9 units remain deployed at the scene. Rescuers continue to face significant hazards, including unstable concrete debris and twisted steel reinforcement bars.

The Angeles City Local Government Unit (LGU), led by Mayor Carmelo "Jon" Lazatin II, is actively monitoring the status of the affected families. Concurrently, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and local authorities are investigating potential occupational safety violations and reviewing the building's structural permits.

Search and retrieval teams will maintain round-the-clock operations until all individuals listed as missing are accounted for.