The blaze broke out at the Kentex slipper factory in the Valenzuela district on Wednesday morning.
On Thursday, fire official Sergio Soriano Jr. said in a radio interview that 72 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage, this was just after Valenzuela’s Mayor Rexlon Gatchalian said in a press conference that 58 people had died and 13 were missing, Reuters reported.
Estimates on fatalities from the fire service and local government have been contradictory since Wednesday, and authorities have encountered difficulties in retrieving bodies from the wreckage, according to Reuters.
A worker who survived the blazes looks inside what remains of the building, May 14. Erik de Castro / Reuters
Police officials promised a swift response against those responsible for the blaze,the BBC reported.
Acting national police chief Leonardo Espina told reporters: “Definitely there will be charges here, because people died. Regardless of whether it was an accident or arson, people died. We are just determining what exactly happened so that we can clearly define what charges to file.”
The fire was caused by an explosion, which was triggered when sparks from a welding machine ignited flammable chemicals stored near to the building’s entrance,
Speaking at a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Gatchalian said that many of those in the factory fled to the second floor, where they were unable to escape due to the metal grates fixed to the windows. He added that he did not know if the building had fire escapes. AP reported.
