ANGELES CITY, Pampanga – The death toll from the collapse site in Barangay Balibago climbed to 21 on Tuesday, June 2, after retrieval teams recovered eight (8) victims in total within the day — the last and youngest of whom was an infant pulled out from the rubble late in the afternoon.

According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Central Luzon, operations began early where four casualties were extricated between 1:34 AM and 4:08 AM, a batch that included the remains of a dog.

Past noon, what started as an operation to reach a single victim turned into the recovery of three more bodies. Teams first located Victim #18 at 11:10 AM, and while clearing debris to establish access, discovered Victims #19 and #20 close by at 1:03 PM. All three were extricated in quick succession: Victim #19 at 1:13 PM, Victim #18 at 1:17 PM, and Victim #20 at 1:19 PM.

The day’s grim count stood at eight recoveries after responders successfully brought out Victim #21 — an infant at 5:01 PM, retrieved from Quadrant 2 of the collapsed structure.

Mayor Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin extended his deepest condolences to the families of all the victims recovered so far, as the community mourns the tragic loss of lives.