THREE people were killed and 23 injured in a major fire at the Waterfront Manila Pavilion hotel and casino on Sunday, as rescuers plucked people from the rooftop by helicopter, authorities said.
The blaze was still raging nine hours after it began on Sunday morning, with two people missing as hundreds fled the area.
Of the three who died, two were identified as hotel employees, said Manila city’s disaster risk reduction chief, Johnny Yu.
“The two are a security guard and a treasury officer. They were likely trapped, suffered from suffocation and were brought to the hospital but declared dead on arrival,” Yu told reporters.
Authorities were investigating the cause of the fire, which is believed to have begun in the casino or mezzanine area of the 21-floor hotel, which regularly hosted both locals and foreigners, Yu added.
Responders sent a helicopter to rescue people trapped on the rooftop and officials launched a ground operation to get the others out.
Nearby cities were helping put out the blaze, Manila’s fire department said.
“This is a major fire. There were those who inhaled the smoke and were brought to the hospital,” senior fire officer Marlon Banaag said.
On Sunday afternoon, President Rodrigo Duterte conducted an aerial survey of the fire aboard a helicopter.
Deadly blazes break out regularly, particularly in slum areas where there are virtually no safety standards.
The deadliest in recent years was in subu rban Manila where 72 people died in 2015 at a factory which makes rubber slippers. AFP