Death toll in Manila Pavilion fire climbs to 6

OFF-LIMITS With the fire finally out, authorities begin to look for answers inside the hotel. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

The death toll in the Manila Pavilion Hotel fire rose to six after another employee of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) died in the hospital on Wednesday morning.

A statement from Pagcor identified the fatality as Jennilyn (not Jenifer as earlier reported) Figueroa, 28, an internal security staffer who had been working at the hotel casino for six years.

She was brought to Manila Doctors Hospital on Sunday after fire hit the 22-story hotel on UN Avenue. Initially reported as among the fatalities, Figueroa was revived by doctors.

The five other fatalities were also Pagcor employees: treasury officer Edilberto Evangelista, assistant treasury officer Marilyn Omadto, security guard Billy Rey De Castro and closed-circuit television camera operators John Mark Sabido and Jocris Banang.

The bodies of Sabido and Banang were the last to be discovered after firefighters declared the fire out at 10:56 a.m. Monday. Both were charred and one of them could only be identified by his wife through his wedding ring.

The blaze started on the ground floor at 9:48 a.m. on Sunday with the cause still under investigation.

The National Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Fire Protection are conducting parallel probes of the incident. —Aie Balagtas See