A nine-storey building under construction collapsed in Angeles City, a city in Pampanga province north of the Philippine capital Manila, on Sunday, killing at least three people and leaving 17 others missing, authorities said. The structure gave way on the afternoon of May 24, also striking a nearby hotel and killing a Malaysian guest staying there.

Two workers who were found alive beneath the rubble later died despite rescue efforts. The first was pulled out with a pulse but could not be resuscitated by doctors. The second suffered a cardiac arrest around 3 a.m. while still pinned under debris, making it impossible for medical staff to reach him in time. Authorities said a third body had been located but had not yet been officially added to the death toll pending recovery.

The 17 people still unaccounted for are mostly construction workers who had been sleeping at the site when the structure collapsed. Officials said up to 70 workers were employed at the building, though most had left for the weekend. Thermal scanners have detected signs of breathing and heartbeats beneath the rubble, raising hopes that survivors may still be found. However, Maria Leah Sajili, a spokeswoman for the regional Bureau of Fire Protection, cautioned that operations were proceeding slowly and largely by hand, as any sudden movement could shift debris and crush those trapped — or endanger the rescuers themselves. If no signs of life are confirmed, heavy machinery will be brought in to clear the site, though no timeline has been given.

Among those waiting anxiously at the scene is Alfredo Albis, 55, who said he was asleep in a workers' barracks just five metres from the building when it came down. "I have two cousins who are still trapped there. They were working here to earn for their families," he told reporters, adding that he feared they were dead. Families of other missing workers, some of whom travelled from Manila, expressed growing frustration at the pace of the search. "My youngest child keeps asking, but I do not have answers," said Lea Casilao, 47, whose husband is believed to be trapped.

The cause of the collapse remains unknown and is under investigation. Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin said authorities were working to locate the building's owner to establish, among other things, the precise number of workers who had been on site. Building collapses at construction sites are not uncommon in the Philippines, where enforcement of safety and structural regulations has historically been uneven, particularly outside the capital.