Building collapse death toll now 27

ANGELES CITY , Philippines — The number of fatalities in the collapse of a building in Barangay Balibago in this city has climbed to 27.

This developed after two bodies were retrieved from the rubble at 6:40 p.m and 7:10 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Central Luzon.

Earlier in the day, four bodies were recovered from the site between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Rescue workers yesterday discovered live chickens under the piles of concrete and steel.

The chickens, believed owned by one of the workers, were retrieved at 8:58 a.m.

The BFP expressed belief that movements earlier detected by a sensor installed at the site could have been created by the chickens.

Meanwhile, the mother of one of the fatalities, Mark Sapungay, has filed charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide before the Office of the City Prosecutor.

Among the respondents in the case filed by Maricel Sapungay are Ernest Jackson Lim, owner of the building; Johnson Cu, owner of Golden Years Construction and Steelworks Corp., and Arlou Nondong Ligsangan, site engineer.

Lim and the construction company have offered to pay each family of the victims P150,000 to settle the matter amicably.