The death toll rose to four after a nine-storey building under construction collapsed in Angeles City, Pampanga, regional fire bureau spokeswoman Maria Leah Sajili reported on May 24, ABS-CBN News reports.

The incident highlights the perennial safety risks shadowing the Philippines’ regional construction boom, where regulatory oversight in rapidly expanding urban hubs outside Manila frequently lags behind the pace of development.

Emergency teams discovered two workers alive beneath the wreckage after the structure gave way and struck an adjacent hotel, killing a Malaysian guest, on May 24. However, both trapped labourers later died despite intensive rescue efforts.

The first worker was extracted alive but his body gave out and doctors could not resuscitate him, Sajili said. The second worker suffered cardiac arrest at approximately 3:00 am while still pinned down, preventing medical staff from treating him.

Another 17 people, mostly construction workers who were sleeping at the site when the disaster struck, remain missing. While up to 70 people were employed at the development, the majority had gone home for the weekend, preventing an even higher casualty count. The cause of the collapse is currently unknown.

"I have two cousins who are still trapped there," said construction worker Alfredo Albis, 55, who was sleeping in a barracks five metres from the structure when it collapsed. "They were working here to earn for their families and are missing. There's a possibility that my relatives are dead."

Rescue operations remain slow and dangerous. Any sudden shift triggered by rescuers can cause the debris to move and crush those trapped underneath, whilst also threatening to bury responders, Sajili noted. Consequently, this phase of the operation is being handled manually. Search teams will deploy thermal scanners to check for signs of life. If no further survivors are found, mechanical diggers and heavy equipment will be brought in to clear the debris and recover bodies.