Photo credit: Angeles City PIO

The death toll in the collapsed building in Barangay Balibago has climbed to eight after authorities recovered another body on Sunday afternoon, as search and retrieval operations continue at the disaster site.

Earlier in the day, rescue teams had already recovered a male victim at around 7:50 a.m. from Quadrant 2 of the partially collapsed structure, initially raising the confirmed fatalities to seven.

However, in a later update at around 3:03 p.m., the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Region 3 reported that another unidentified body was extricated from the rubble, pushing the death toll further to eight.

According to the Unified Command, all recovered remains are being turned over to the City Health Office for proper documentation and identification under the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) protocol. Authorities stressed that official identities will only be released once full verification is completed.

Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II continues to oversee the city’s emergency response as search, rescue, retrieval, and clearing operations remain in full swing.

Officials earlier noted that a vaccination card was found at the site containing a possible name of one of the victims, but they clarified that this remains subject to validation and cannot yet be confirmed as official identification.

Despite the rising death toll, authorities assured that operations will continue until all possible victims are accounted for. The city government also pledged continued assistance and support to families affected by the tragedy as recovery efforts proceed.