Makati: The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Tuesday announced that "search-and-rescue" (SAR) efforts for the collapsed building in Angeles City, Pampanga have now shifted to "search-and-retrieval" mode. "SAR operations have ended effective 25 8:27PM May 2026 and transitioned to search-and-retrieval operations," OCD deputy spokesperson Diego Agustin Mariano said in a message to reporters.
According to Philippines News Agency, reports coming from the Bureau of Fire and Angeles City local government unit and Incident Command Post indicated that no more signs of life were detected as of 3 p.m. Monday. "Yun mga (the) life detectors, K-9s walang nang makuhang response (were unable to get a response)," Mariano said.
The incident involved a nine-story structure under construction along Teodoro Street that collapsed before dawn on Sunday, triggering a massive emergency response from rescue units across Central Luzon. Forty-seven individuals were affected by the incident, of which 27 were rescued, 16 are either reported missing, unaccounted, or trapped and four have been reported dead.
Mariano said the casualties were still "for validation" as of posting time.
