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At least 21 missing in Philippines after building collapse at construction site
The nine-storey building's walls and scaffolding had buckled, likely trapping people in a pile of debris
- PUBLISHED: Sun 24 May 2026, 9:53 AM UPDATED: Sun 24 May 2026, 5:13 PM
At least one person was confirmed dead after a building under construction collapsed in the Philippines on Sunday, authorities said, as rescuers scoured the rubble for 21 people listed as missing.
Officials said an investigation had been launched into what caused the collapse of the multi-storey building in the city of Angeles, north of the capital, Manila. The building collapsed on itself at around 3am (7pm GMT Saturday) while also heavily damaging an adjacent hotel where two of the 26 people who were rescued had been staying, they said
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Rescuers at the scene could be seen clambering over a mound of concrete slabs and mangled steel as they searched for survivors. They used trained rescue dogs, heartbeat detection devices and heavy equipment to sift through the debris.
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Rescue efforts continue
Authorities said the person confirmed to have died was a 65-year-old Malaysian national whose body had been recovered from a neighbouring building, a hotel, that had also been affected by the collapse.
Maria Leah Sajili, information officer at the regional Bureau of Fire Protection, told a press briefing that among the 21 people reported missing, five people were confirmed trapped.
Two of the five were communicating with rescuers, but the status of the others was not immediately clear.
Rescue efforts were continuing, but Sajili warned that operations would become more challenging after dark.
Officials told reporters that planning records showed the building was intended as a nine-storey condo-hotel under the approved permit, but that a swimming pool was being constructed on a 10th floor.
Residents react
Local delivery rider James Bernardo, 30, told AFP by telephone he had just dropped off food on the same street when the disaster occurred.
"A few seconds later there was suddenly a loud noise in the area, and when I looked, I realised that (the building) had already collapsed," Bernardo said.
"Thank God I'm safe."
A video clip taken by Bernardo and verified by AFP showed a giant pile of twisted steel beams, power pylons and slabs of concrete blocking the street as fellow witnesses took photographs with their phones.
In the clip Bernardo can be heard saying, "We thought it was an earthquake, but it turned out it was the building (collapsing)."
Angeles city is around 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Manila.
City information officer Jay Pelayo told AFP the nine-storey building's walls and scaffolding had buckled, likely trapping people in a pile of debris.
Videos and photos verified by AFP showed piles of broken poles and debris covering the site. The rubble was wrapped in green protective plastic sheeting common at construction sites.
Interviews to determine the survivors' identities were ongoing, Pelayo added. Those rescued were in a "stable condition", he said.