At least 28 people have
died after a fire gutted a footwear factory in the Philippine capital Manila,
officials say. Senior superintendent
Sergio Soriano confirmed the deaths after inspecting the building in the
capital's Valenzuela industrial district."They were lying
side by side, but all I could see were their bones," he said.
Officials earlier
confirmed three people had been killed in the blaze, which broke out at the
rubber slipper factory shortly before noon local time. About 200 to 300 people
worked in the factory, according to Veato Ang, the factory owner. "It just broke out
and people started running," he said of the fire.
Thirty-nine workers
were accounted for, but 65 were reported missing and feared dead."I have been
informed that 65 people could not be located and might be inside that
building," mayor Rex Gatchalian said. "I was told no one
survived inside, but I am still hoping some of those trapped were able to
escape the building safely."
Firemen took four hours
to get the blaze under control, and entered the burnt-out building to find an
undetermined number of bodies, Mr Gatchalian said. He added that firemen
could not immediately determine how many bodies had been inside.
Mr Gatchalian urged the
relatives to check again whether the missing kin were among those who had
managed to escape the blaze."I'm not saying
all (the missing) are dead. We're still hoping they were able to jump
out," he added.
Ariel Barayuga, head of
bureau of fire protection, said investigators were trying to determine the
cause of fire. Flammable materials and
chemicals were believed to have helped spread the flames.
Factory worker Nedy
Neverio, 35, was among the distraught relatives who gathered outside the two-storey
factory awaiting word on her elder sister Nora Verenzuela, 42, and two nephews,
who are among the missing. "Someone told us
no-one escaped from the area where she was assigned," said Ms Neverio.
"My sister's
workplace was near the chemicals. She was not able to get out because the
flames had spread," she added. Injured survivor Emma
Santa Agata told local media many of her fellow workers were trapped at their
work stations on the second floor of the building.
"My boss and I
were running out when we were blocked by fire and smoke," she said.
"There was a
sudden explosion and he got hit on the arm." Reuters.