Philippine blaze: Call-center workers 'trapped' in inferno

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who served previously as mayor for two decades, on Sunday told relatives of up to 36 missing persons, including call-center workers, there was "zero" chance their loved ones had survived.

Davao's current mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio — the president's daughter — said firefighters had recovered one body from the four-story complex which was choked Saturday by dense smoke and extreme heat.

"The fire is under control, but not totally out," said the mayor.

Many of the missing worked for SSI Philippines Inc, a branch of an American-based international market research company that utilizes the Philippines' mix of English-language skills and low wages.

No contact since blaze

Retired seaman Jimmy Quimsing said his 25-year-old son Jim Benedict had not made contact since the fire broke out.

Fire marshal Honeyfritz Alagano said a colleague who also had a child working in the center had learned that staff went to collect items from their lockers and found themselves trapped.

SSI Philippines called for prayers in majority Roman Catholic Davao, a metropolis of 1.5 million — the biggest in the southern Philippines.

Blaze began in furniture section

The mall's management said the blaze started Saturday morning on the third floor where clothes, appliances and furniture were sold.

Aside from a grocery store on the ground floor and the call-center the complex had been closed for Christmas, potentially preventing an even worse tragedy.

The Philippines has a reputation for a dearth of fire safety standards and non-enforcement attributed in part to corruption.

A Manila footwear factory blaze in 2015 killed 72 people. Survivors blamed barred windows and exploitative conditions.

Davao's blaze is an added tragedy for the southern Philippines in a year that also saw the pro-Islamic State siege of Marawi city that was crushed by troops in August and typhoon Tembin which swept across Mindanao on Friday.

Typhoon toll rises to 200

Mindanao police said Sunday the storm death toll had risen to 200, with scores still missing. Disaster relief officials said up to 70,000 had been left homeless by flash floods and landslides.

"The [death toll] figure could increase as we continue to receive reports from the field as the weather improves," said Mindanao police spokesman Lemuel Gonda.

On Sunday, the storm was moving west across outlying Philippine islands and the South China Sea towards southern Vietnam.

ipj/rc (Reuters, AP, dpa, AFP)