ANGELES CITY, Pampanga – The search and retrieval operation at the collapsed nine‑story building intensified Wednesday evening as two more bodies were recovered, raising the official death toll to 27.
The Unified Command reported that the 26th victim was extricated at 6:38 p.m. and turned over for Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) at 7:14 p.m.
Just 11 minutes later, at 6:49 p.m., the 27th body was also recovered and processed for identification.
Earlier in the day, responders had already pulled out the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th victims, followed by the 25th body at around 4 p.m. amid heavy rain.
Search, rescue, and retrieval teams continue to clear debris and comb through the site, where the building collapsed before dawn on Sunday, May 24.
So far, 27 people have died while 27 others survived the tragedy. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the collapse. (Liezle Basa-Inigo)
