Wall collapse kills 5

CEBU CITY, Philippines–Five construction workers died while five others were badly injured when the wall of a building undergoing construction in Barangay (village) Tisa collapsed early Wednesday.

The fatalities were identified as brothers Donnie and Christian Dilan, Lyndon Melendrez, Arjel Ceniza and Teodolfo Detumal.

Ceniza was brought along with the injured workers to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) but he died at 4:05 a.m. at the hospital’s emergency room.

The injured victims were identified in the hospital records as Jerome Sios-e, 19; Noel Lucero, 23; Roel Pasaje, 26; Arnel Pacible, 23; Joey Manceras, 36; and Ricardo Villegas 27.

The fatalities and the injured persons were workers of the CYC Construction, the contractor of the Gaisano Capital Building in F. Llamas St., Barangay Tisa, Cebu City.

All of these workers were working at the 3rd floor area when the wall on one side of the building collapsed to the ground.

Joel Marabe, one of workers on the night shift, said he was working at the first floor of the building past 1p.m. when he heard a rumbling sound and when he looked towards the side of the building he saw bodies of his co-workers and debris falling down.

Engr. Josefa Ylanan, head of the Office of the Building Official (OBO), ordered the suspension of the construction work pending result of an investigation.

Ylanan also sent an OBO engineer to determine what could have caused the incident. –Jhunnex Napallacan, Inquirer Visayas