Dozens Feared Dead in Fire at Philippines Mall
24, 2017
MANILA — Fire crews battling an enormous blaze that tore through a shopping mall in a southern city in the
Philippines, trapping at least 37 people, pulled one body from the building, the mayor said on Sunday.
President Rodrigo Duterte, the father of Davao City’s mayor
and vice mayor, visited the mall on Saturday night and met with family members of those inside.
Firefighters have been unable to enter the mall in Davao City after the fire started on Saturday morning, the vice mayor, Paolo Duterte, said.
" she said, calling the mall fire "an unfortunate incident." The blaze erupted as city officials
and emergency-relief workers were trying to rescue survivors of flash floods and landslides unleashed by Tropical Storm Tembin elsewhere in the region. that Do not stop until you find the 37,
He said of those still trapped inside, "Their chances of survival is zero." Mayor Inday Sara Duterte said
that one body had been recovered and that rescuers’ priority was now to find all those who are missing.
The president, who was previously mayor of Davao City and was in town for the holidays, "assured the relatives of the victims
that the government would extend help," said Harry Roque, Mr. Duterte’s spokesman.