Photo from BFP PIO
MANILA, Philippines — The body of another employee of the T.P. Marcelo Ice Plant was found in the site where the ammonia leak happened, raising the number of deaths to two, city government said Thursday.
“Bale kaninang umaga po, nakita po namin yung katawan ni Joselino Jazareno. Siya ay 54 years old, empleyado ng T.P. Marcelo,” Vonne Villanueva of the Navotas City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) told radio station dzBB when asked about the updates on the victims of substance leak along North Bay Boulevard.
(This morning, we found the body of Joselino Jazareno. He is 54 years old and an employee of T.P. Marcelo.)
Villanueva explained that the corpse was found Thursday morning as rescuers encountered difficulty searching the area due to the ammonia vapors.
“Nakasiksik sa gilid [yung body] na medyo malayo po sa impact site. Siguro sa kondisyon ng panahon na yun dahil malakas pa ang amoy [ng ammonia] hindi kaagad nasearch nang maigi,” he said.
(The body was found far from the impact site, but due to the scent of the ammonia, the search operation was hampered.)
In a separate tweet, Navotas City Mayor Toby Tiangco said Jazareno is an electrician of the ice plant.
Ngayong umaga, nakumpirma po nating may isa pang namatay sa ammonia leak sa TP Marcelo Ice Plant and Cold Storage. Siya po ay si Joselito Jazareno, 54, residente ng Malabon at electrician ng kompanya. Sa inisyal na imbestigasyon, nakita po siya malapit sa sumabog na surge tank.
— Toby Tiangco (@TobyTiangco) February 4, 2021
On Wednesday night, authorities announced that Gilbert Tiangco, 44-year-old worker in the ice plant, was declared dead on arrival in Navotas City Hospital.
The ammonia leak sent more than 60 people to different hospitals.
As of posting, 20 victims of the leak are still staying in Philippine General Hospital.
Residents affected by he ammonia leak were sent to evacuation centers but returned to their homes after the leak was contained at around 10 p.m. Wednesday.