At least three dead in Manila hotel fire, hundreds of guests evacuated

Three people were killed and 23 injured by a major hotel fire in the Philippine capital Manila on Sunday, with others plucked by helicopter from the rooftop of the building engulfed in thick black smoke, authorities said.

The blaze at the Waterfront Manila Pavilion, a high-rise hotel and casino complex, was still raging nine hours after it began on Sunday morning, with two people missing as hundreds fled the area.

Authorities initially said four people had died but later clarified that one victim had been revived in hospital, according to Metro Manila Development Authority acting chief Jojo Garcia.

The three who died had probably suffocated while another 23 people had been taken to hospital, said Manila city’s disaster risk reduction chief, Johnny Yu.

“The smoke is very heavy and the wind is strong. That is our enemy now – the smoke and the wind – which is why our firefighters are having a hard time,” Yu told reporters.

Clouds of smoke covered several floors of the building and swathed ladders of firefighters, some of whom had difficulty breathing, witnesses said.

Fire authorities were investigating the cause of the blaze, which is believed to have begun in the casino or mezzanine area of the 21-floor hotel which regularly hosted locals and foreigners, Yu said.