Death toll in Philippine slipper factory fire rises to 45

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Death toll in Philippine slipper factory fire rises to 45
OLIVER TEVES, Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The death toll in a rubber slipper factory fire in a suburb of the Philippine capital climbed to at least 45 on Thursday with another 26 people still missing in the gutted building and feared dead, a local mayor said.

The toll was expected to rise as police recover more bodies from inside the Kentex Manufacturing Corp. factory. Mayor Rex Gatchalian of Valenzuela city north of Manila said a search for bodies restarted Thursday after it was suspended late Wednesday because of the heat and worries about the instability of the two-story building.

He said at least 30 people had been injured and expressed hope that some of the missing may have escaped.

"The city government is still praying and hoping that the 26, some of them, must have gotten out earlier in the morning and had gone to relatives and have not logged on at city hall. So we are still hoping that the number 26 will still go down," he said.

Dionesio Candido, whose daughter, granddaughter, sister-in-law and niece were among the missing, said iron grills reinforced with fencing wire covered windows on the second floor that "could prevent even cats from escaping."

He said he was allowed by authorities to enter the gutted building, where he saw charred remains "piled on top of each other" but could not say how many.

District Fire Marshal Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu said he was among the first to reach the second floor of the gutted building after the fire and saw "numerous bodies" but could not immediately say how many.

Local media reports quoted relatives as saying their kin sent text messages saying they were on the second floor, but contact was lost shortly after.

Gatchalian said the fire was apparently ignited by sparks from welding work being done at the factory's main entrance door, triggering an explosion of the chemicals used to make the slippers.

Workers fled to the second floor where they were trapped, he said. He was unsure if there were any fire escapes there.

Tiu, the fire marshal, said the building had other exits but apparently the workers were overwhelmed by the thick black smoke from the burning rubber and chemicals, which are highly flammable and caused the blaze to spread quickly.
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Associated Press writer Teresa Cerojano contributed to this story.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-05-14

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Anger as Philippine factory fire death toll reaches 45

MANILA (AFP) - Forty-five people have died in a huge blaze at a footwear factory in the Philippine capital and 26 others remain missing, authorities said Thursday, as grieving relatives described sweatshop conditions and poor fire safety standards.

Rescue workers pulled dozens of corpses out of the ruins of the two-storey building in Manila, many of whom were believed to have been trapped on the second floor after the blaze broke out just after noon on Wednesday.

"Many of those retrieved were reduced to skulls and bones," national police chief Leonardo Espina said during an emotional press conference, as city authorities confirmed that 45 bodies had so far been found.

"Someone will definitely be charged because of the deaths. It doesn’t matter if it’s an accident, people died. Right now, we are investigating to clearly define what happened. For sure, someone will be charged."

Sparks from welding equipment used to repair a broken gate are believed to have caused the fire when they ignited flammable chemicals stored nearby.

The building, among a long row of factories in the rundown district of Valenzuela on the northern edge of the Philippine capital, made cheap slippers and sandals for the local market.

The footwear had names such as "Havana" that sound like well-known global brands, company employees said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Anger-as-Philippine-factory-fire-death-toll-reache-30260058.html


-- The Nation 2015-05-14

[Prbkk]

Tragic. Still not enough being done to stop these slave labour working conditions, often in partnership with well-known brands...just so western consumers can save 5 bucks and greedy corporate <deleted> can maximimise profits