Infant among latest victims retrieved from collapsed Angeles building 

ANGELES CITY — Rescuers recovered the body of an infant from the rubble of the collapsed nine-storey building in Barangay Balibago here on Tuesday evening (June 2), further raising the death toll from the tragedy.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the infant was extricated from Quadrant 2 of the disaster site at 6:01 p.m. as search and retrieval operations continued.

The retrieval of the latest fatality came more than a week after the building, which was under construction, collapsed before dawn on May 24, trapping workers and other individuals beneath tons of concrete and debris.

Fire Supt. Maria Leah Sajili, regional public information officer of the BFP-Central Luzon, said authorities have yet to confirm the infant’s identity pending verification by the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO).

Some survivors earlier claimed that children may have been present at the construction site before the collapse, saying several workers had family members staying with them in the area.

Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the infant was among those reported to have been living on or near the site.

The recovery adds to the growing list of fatalities from the collapse, which has claimed the lives of construction workers, nearby vendors, a Malaysian staying at a nearby hotel, and other individuals caught in the disaster.

Search and retrieval operations remain ongoing as responders continue to clear debris and look for possible additional victims trapped beneath the wreckage. /apl