San Francisco Frontiers - Philippine construction collapse toll hits three, 17 missing

Two workers pinned beneath the wreckage were found alive after the nine-storey structure gave way Sunday, hitting a nearby hotel and killing a Malaysian guest.

But the two workers trapped at the site in Angeles, which is north of the capital Manila, died despite rescue efforts.

"The first of the two was pulled out alive, but unfortunately, his body gave out and he did not survive. Doctors could not resuscitate him," regional fire bureau spokeswoman Maria Leah Sajili told AFP.

"The other one suffered a cardiac arrest around 3:00 am (1900 GMT Sunday). Doctors could not attend to him as he was still pinned down," she added.

Seventeen other people, mostly construction workers who were sleeping at the building site when disaster struck, remained missing, Sajili said.

The cause of the collapse is not known.

Officials said up to 70 people were employed at the construction site, though most had gone home for the weekend.

Alfredo Albis, 55, told AFP he was asleep at a barracks for workers about five metres (16 feet) from the structure when it gave way.

"I have two cousins who are still trapped there. They were working here to earn for their families and (they) are missing," he said, adding "there's a possibility that my relatives are dead".

Sajili, the fire bureau spokeswoman, said that "rescue in (a) building collapse is very challenging since any sudden shift triggered by the movements of our rescuers can cause areas to move and people under can get crushed".

Sudden movements "may also bury our responders", she said, explaining why this phase of the operation had to be done mostly manually.

Rescuers will now use thermal scanners "to check if there are possible signs of life", she said.

If no more survivors are found, mechanical diggers and other heavy equipment will be brought in to clear debris and recover bodies, she said, but gave no timeline.

V.Mitchell--SFF