Wall near Manila city jail collapses

WATCH: Wall collapsed under four people at Oroquieta and Doroteo Jose in Manila pic.twitter.com/syI63hWMxR | @dzIQ990

— Inquirerdotnet (@inquirerdotnet) August 13, 2016

Several people were injured after a concrete wall collapsed in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Saturday morning.

Johnny Yu, head of the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), said four shanties were pinned down by concrete debris where unidentified numbers of individuals were trapped.

Yu said the accident happened along Doroteo Jose corner Oroquieta streets, just outside the Manila City Jail.

He said a portion of the seven-foot boundary wall  outside the city jail compound collapsed at around 9 a.m., due to heavy rains and crushed about four to five shanties occupied by about 20 people.

“It is a boundary wall. Wall lang siya na tinayuan ng mga informal settlers doon sa tabi, so n’ung bumagsak ‘yun, malamang naka-adjacent ‘yan or nakadikit ‘yan doon sa wall ng Manila City Jail,” the city official said.

(It’s a boundary wall. It’s a wall used by informal settlers to build their shanties, so when it collapsed, it probably fell near a wall of the Manila City Jail.)

As of 10 a.m., he said two people were rescued alive from the rubble.

Yu said Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada has sent 50 rescuers and other emergency units to assist the affected families.

“All available rescue and emergency units are now on the scene as we speak. We are exerting all effort to assist them,” Estrada said in statement.

He said the city government would take care of the medical needs of the wounded residents.

“I have directed Mr. Yu and all concerned city hall departments to provide all the needs of the affected families,” he said.

Aside from MDRRMO, Yu said other rescue teams were sent to the accident site to provide assistance

The Department of Health (DOH) sent at least seven ambulances while the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Manila Police District (MPD) also sent personnel to assist in the rescue operations, he said.

As of posting time, he said no fatality has been recorded.

“We’re not expecting any fatality as of this moment,” Yu said. IDL

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