⁠Under-construction building collapses in Philippines, trapping workers

An official said the nine-storey building’s walls and scaffolding had buckled, trapping people in a pile of debris

Nineteen people are feared trapped after a building under construction near Manila collapsed early on Sunday, a local government official said.

Officials in Angeles City, around 80km (50 miles) north of the Philippine capital, said they had received a report at about 3am that an unfinished nine-storey concrete building had given way.

City information officer Jay Pelayo said that the building’s walls and scaffolding had buckled, likely trapping people in a pile of debris.

While there were no initial reports of casualties, “there are 19 personnel that usually report in the area, so they are the ones we are trying to locate now”, Pelayo said.

“There are big chunks of concrete, and we need equipment to lift them up. That is what’s challenging for the rescue right now.”

Initial reports suggested 24 people had been rescued from the rubble as well as two from an apartment-style hotel that was hit when the building came down, the city government said.