Manila fire toll at 72

Manila

The death toll in a fire that destroyed a shoe factory in the Philippine capital has increased to 72, officials say.

Police say the fire started when sparks from welding work ignited flammable chemicals near the building’s entrance.

Police have vowed to take swift action against those responsible, amid workers’ claims of poor health and safety standards.

Meanwhile, the survivors blamed barred windows for the disaster and described sweatshop conditions.

Nearly all of those killed in the five-hour blaze were trapped on the second floor of the two-storey building, unable to break steel bars over the windows, according to survivors and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

“They were screaming for help, holding on to the bars,” Factory worker Randy Paghubosan, one of the few on the ground floor who escaped, said.

“When we could no longer see their hands, we knew they had died... they died because they were trapped on the second floor.” 

Roxas promised justice to the victims as he expressed anger at the lack of fire exits and the cause of the blaze -- welding that was being carried out near flammable chemicals. “Why was welding work allowed near all those chemicals? Why were the second floor windows enclosed in steel bars? Why were 69 of the 72 on the second floor,” Roxas told reporters after meeting the victims’ relatives.