The search and rescue operations for workers trapped under a collapsed building in Angeles City, Pampanga has become extremely difficult, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) officer-in-charge (OIC) Chief Supt. Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu stated on Monday, May 25.

The BFP referred to the incident as a  “pancake collapse”, or typically begins at the bottom where one floor or structural element fails, causing the floors above to fall onto the lower floors, often leaving little to no voids for survival and making rescue operations extremely difficult.

Kwan Tiu pointed to the “pancake structure’’ as the reason why the rescuers could not immediately reach several trapped workers who were still showing signs of life.

Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the collapse, which occurred shortly before 3 a.m. on Sunday, May 24 as around 22 construction workers remain trapped beneath the rubble, while two of them have reportedly shown signs of life.

Kwan Tiu, however, assured that the BFP emergency responders together with the other rescuers continue to grapple and display their earnest efforts to find more than 20 trapped construction workers beneath the rubble.

Further, Kwan Tiu explained that the rescuers need to move with extreme caution for fear that the remnants of the collapsed structure might cave in that would trap the construction workers more.

Although Angeles City experienced heavy rains and strong winds hours before the incident, local officials noted there was no earthquake prior to the collapse and that the weather conditions could not yet be directly linked to the incident.

An inquiry into the building’s legal standing, structural history and permits are being verified as authorities continue to probe the cause of the structural failure and await the formal statement from the building’s management or ownership.