Lea Casilao and her husband usually began each day exchanging text messages: “Good morning” from her, and his usual reply of “Good morning, love”.
But on Sunday morning, no reply came.
Casilao said she knew her husband, Joselito, had been staying at the workers’ barracks on Saturday night because they had been messaging until the evening, making it likely that he was among those trapped after a building under construction in the city of Angeles, north of Manila, collapsed at dawn on Sunday.
Authorities called off search-and-rescue operations on Monday evening after rescuers, using life locator equipment, determined there were no longer signs of life beneath the rubble.
The focus shifted yesterday to recovering the victims’ remains.
“My hope of still finding him alive has collapsed,” 47-year-old Casilao said, her voice breaking.
At least four people have been confirmed dead, including a Malaysian national whose body was recovered on Sunday from a neighbouring hotel building that had also been hit by the collapse.
Another 16, mostly construction workers, remain missing.
Authorities have launched an investigation into why the building collapsed, and whether or not it violated the terms of its construction permit. Though only nine storeys were approved, a swimming pool was under construction on the 10th floor.
The Philippine labour agency stopped work at the site last September over safety violations, but lifted the order a month later after the company complied with regulations. — Reuters
