more than 30 bodies found criminal probe into philippine mall fire
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

More than 30 bodies found, criminal probe into Philippine mall fire

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today More than 30 bodies found, criminal probe into Philippine mall fire

NCCC shopping mall fire
Manila - Al Maghrib Today

Firemen Monday found the bodies of "around" 36 people after a deadly blaze at a shopping mall in the southern Philippines, a fire official said as the government launched a criminal investigation.

The discovery raised to 37 the confirmed death toll from the NCCC shopping mall fire in the city of Davao on Mindanao island.

The Davao region chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection, Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu, told weeping relatives of the missing that he personally counted "around 36" bodies in an office lobby at the gutted mall.

City mayor Sara Duterte, a daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, said earlier that 38 people were missing and feared dead in the fire, with one other unidentified body recovered on Sunday.

"I personally counted them before I gave the information to our honourable mayor... around 36 in number," Kwan Tiu told weeping relatives, who clutched long-stemmed white flowers as they attended a mass.

"As the ground commander of this operation my deepest apology for I was not able to save them," said the fire official, who joined a search inside the building at midday.

The blaze began on Saturday, trapping call centre workers of US-based market research firm SSI, which announced on its website late Sunday that 37 of its 500 employees at the top-floor office had been "lost" in the fire.

Philippine authorities ordered a criminal investigation Monday as allegations surfaced of locked or non-existent fire exits at the building, which its administrators denied.

"By punishing those responsible, we can set an example to others so that hopefully there will be no repetition of those tragedies," Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said in a statement.

Mall operators denied the claims.

"There is no truth to that allegation. In fact as per accounts of those who got out, they were able get out thru the fire exit," Thea Padua, the mall's public relations officer, told AFP by text message.

- Rescuers criticised -

Davao's fire marshal described the shopping mall on Sunday as "an enclosed space with no ventilation", though the authorities said they had yet to determine the cause of the blaze.

Deadly blazes occur regularly in the Philippines, particularly in slum areas where there are virtually no fire safety standards.

Corruption and exploitation mean supposedly strict fire standards are often not enforced.

Some relatives of those missing earlier criticised rescuers for what they felt was the slow pace of recovery efforts.

"They seem so relaxed," said Jolita Basalan, weeping as she waited for news of her 29-year-old son Jonas who worked at the call centre.

"They are not pained because they don't have a child there. They told us to come here but no one is moving," she told AFP.

SSI said it has arranged for counselling for its employees and will support funeral arrangements and set up a fund for the bereaved.

"This terrible tragedy has left us with heavy hearts. We offer our condolences and prayers to the families and loved ones of the victims," SSI chief executive Gary Laben said in a statement on its website.

The shopping mall fire compounded the Christmas misery in the south of the mainly Catholic nation, where tens of thousands were displaced by floods and landslides from a storm that also killed 240 others on Friday.

In 2015 a fire tore through a footwear factory in Manila, killing 72. Survivors of that blaze blamed barred windows and other sweatshop conditions for trapping people inside the factory.

In the nation's deadliest fire of recent times, 162 people were killed in a huge blaze that gutted a Manila disco in 1996.

With low wages but strong English-language skills, the Philippines is a popular destination for international companies to set up customer call centres.

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

more than 30 bodies found criminal probe into philippine mall fire more than 30 bodies found criminal probe into philippine mall fire

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

more than 30 bodies found criminal probe into philippine mall fire more than 30 bodies found criminal probe into philippine mall fire

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today The Rake announces editorial updates

GMT 10:46 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

The Rake announces editorial updates
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Europe brings on charm and blue skies

GMT 11:51 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Europe brings on charm and blue skies
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today For the Variety of Interior Design Styles

GMT 10:46 2017 Tuesday ,19 December

For the Variety of Interior Design Styles
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today US Christian tourists see deep meaning

GMT 13:44 2018 Monday ,22 January

US Christian tourists see deep meaning
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 10:03 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 16:05 2015 Thursday ,26 February

Egypt, South Sudan to launch campaign to fund Waw Dam

GMT 15:01 2017 Monday ,13 November

Switzerland edge out Northern Ireland

GMT 23:12 2015 Monday ,07 September

Moussa participates in annual forum at Salzburg

GMT 04:45 2012 Friday ,12 October

Hezbollah role in Syria grows more evident

GMT 01:42 2014 Sunday ,16 February

Posting links to freely available to legal Web

GMT 08:56 2016 Wednesday ,05 October

Rough times for Saudi retail

GMT 06:59 2017 Wednesday ,01 February

Bayern Munich's Ribery out of action

GMT 19:36 2011 Monday ,25 April

KSE index ends day in green

GMT 00:40 2012 Sunday ,08 July

An Alaska women’s shelter can reopen

GMT 17:43 2012 Thursday ,29 November

Scolari returns as Brazil coach

GMT 08:48 2017 Wednesday ,14 June

Qatar keep FIFA World Cup hopes alive

GMT 11:45 2012 Tuesday ,11 December

Hawa al-Tagtaga remembered

GMT 12:06 2011 Saturday ,11 June

William in first Trooping parade

GMT 15:49 2012 Wednesday ,15 August

Lindsay Lohan in skimpy bikini

GMT 15:15 2016 Wednesday ,24 August

Deal puts Microsoft apps on Lenovo phones

GMT 14:52 2011 Friday ,08 July

Energy cuts will avoid wastage

GMT 12:25 2014 Wednesday ,03 December

The New York hotel that will host the royal couple

GMT 12:24 2012 Sunday ,01 July

Salvatore Ferragamo: Eyewear collection
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday