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Angeles City Collapse Kills Malaysian Tourist, Traps 23

5/24/2026

45 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

A nine-story building collapsed in Angeles City, Philippines, after a thunderstorm on May 24, killing a Malaysian tourist and trapping 23 people.
Rescue teams heard voices from the rubble as they lifted large concrete slabs.
Officials said 24 people were rescued, including two from a nearby hotel damaged by debris.
Maria Leah Sajili said the building was approved for nine stories while a tenth-floor pool was added when it fell.

History

Historical Context

After Seoul’s 1988 Olympic-driven construction boom, the Sampoong Group altered a 1987-started mall design, cutting columns and adding a fifth floor. On June 29 1995 the flat-slab building collapsed, killing 502 people and injuring 937. The disaster spurred South Korean building-code reforms and criminal convictions of chairman Lee Joon and local officials.

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Story summary

A nine-story building collapsed in Angeles City, Philippines, after a thunderstorm on May 24, killing a Malaysian tourist and trapping 23 people.
Rescue teams heard voices from the rubble as they lifted large concrete slabs.
Officials said 24 people were rescued, including two from a nearby hotel damaged by debris.
Maria Leah Sajili said the building was approved for nine stories while a tenth-floor pool was added when it fell.

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