A fire broke out at a casino and a hotel in Manila on Sunday with the death toll having risen to five by Tuesday afternoon. The fire led to the rescue of over 300 guests by helicopter and a sent a plume of smoke over the Philippines capital.
Police mentioned it was not clear that the fire at the Manila Pavilion Hotel and Casino, began in the casino which was under renovation. Intense grey smoke came out from the first and second floors at the hotel and you can view it in the TV footage. The rescue personnel brought the people out from the building.
The head of the Manila disaster management agency, Johnny Yu, said that six people were affected by heavy smoke and were brought to a hospital. The dead included two hotel security guards and a treasury officer.
Yu mentioned that four people were killed in the fire. The officials later mentioned that one of those who died was revived by doctors in the hospital. They were in a critical condition.
“The smoke is very heavy and, second, there’s the wind that we’re trying to overcome,” Yu said at the time.
“Our firefighters are having a lot of difficulty.”
All the areas surrounding the hotel were blocked by the police and the firefighters. It lies in the tourist district of Manila to enable many fire trucks to fight the fire.
Authorities have since released a statement saying they believed the fire had started on the lower floors of the hotel or in a mezzanine that had been undergoing renovation.
It is unclear if the casino will reopen anytime soon.
