ANGELES CITY, Pampanga — The death toll from the collapse of a nine-story building here climbed to four on Monday, with authorities fearing the number could rise further as bodies remain trapped beneath the rubble.

As of 10:30 a.m., Fire Superintendent Maria Leah Sejili, public information officer of the Bureau of Fire Protection Region 3, said the latest fatality was among the 18 construction workers initially listed as missing.

The victim was among two bodies located in Sector 2 where rescuers detected no vital signs. Authorities have so far retrieved only one body from the area, while 17 individuals remain unaccounted for.

During an earlier press briefing, Sejili detailed the confirmed fatalities.

“First is a Malaysian national whose body was recovered yesterday. Second is a certain Mr. Mark, who was extricated alive at 2:52 a.m. today but succumbed to severe trauma and stress. Our team tried to resuscitate him and rushed him to San Rafael Lazatin Memorial Hospital, but he did not survive,” she said.

The BFP also confirmed that the third fatality was recovered around 9 a.m. Sejili said the victim suffered cardiac arrest while trapped beneath the rubble and showed no signs of life upon retrieval.

Authorities said the list of missing workers was based strictly on records and payroll documents provided by the site engineer, confirming they were among those on duty when the structure collapsed.

“Teams from the PNP, DSWD, and other local officials are cross-checking and validating these documents to ensure the count and identities are accurate,” Sejili said.

Official records showed that 47 individuals were documented to be present or assigned at the construction site during the collapse.

Of the total, 26 workers have already been safely transported back to their provinces with government assistance that included financial aid, food packs, and transportation support.

Authorities said 21 individuals remain accounted for or are still being monitored at the site or nearby facilities.

“Our teams are doing their best. We remain hopeful there are survivors still underneath — we will work hard until we get everyone out alive,” Sejili said.

Rescue operations are currently focused on four designated sectors, particularly Sectors 1 and 2, where rescuers have yet to detect signs of life.

Sejili said teams would conduct full thermal scanning and deploy K-9 units across all sectors once retrieval operations are completed to confirm whether additional victims remain trapped beneath the debris.

She added that controlled clearing and the use of heavy equipment would only begin after authorities confirm there are no remaining survivors beneath the rubble.