Philippine factory fire killed at least 72 people

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Activists hold slogans while they mourn for victims of a fire that gutted the Kentex rubber slipper factory during a rally in Manila, Philippines on Thursday, May 14, 2015 . The group alleged that the deaths of dozens of trapped workers is due to violations of occupational health and safety standards by owners of the factory. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Activists hold slogans while they mourn for victims of a fire that gutted the Kentex rubber slipper factory during a rally in Manila, Philippines on Thursday, May 14, 2015 . The group alleged that the deaths of dozens of trapped workers is due to violations of occupational health and safety standards by owners of the factory. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
MANILA, Philippines — Police will open a criminal investigation into a Philippine factory fire that killed at least 72 people, as a relative of several of the victims said Thursday the blaze had trapped workers in the building’s second floor where iron grills on windows prevented their escape.

Most of the bodies were retrieved from the gutted two-story Kentex Manufacturing Corp. rubber slipper factory a day after the fire raged for over five hours in the outskirts of the capital, Manila.

As forensic officers worked to identify the dead and reconcile their names with those listed as missing, questions were being raised if the factory followed fire and building safety standards.

Dionesio Candido, whose daughter, granddaughter, sister-in-law and niece were among the missing, said iron grills reinforced with fencing wire covered windows on the second floor that “could prevent even cats from escaping.”

He said he was allowed by authorities to enter the gutted building, where he saw charred remains “piled on top of each other.”

Local media reports quoted relatives as saying their kin sent frantic text messages asking for help from second floor, but contact was lost shortly after.

Police will file charges against “all those accountable and those at fault,” said police Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina.

Valenzuela city fire marshal Mel Jose Lagan said arson investigators will look into why the people were unable to escape from the second floor when there was a “sufficient exit” that includes a wide stairway to the back of the building leading to the outside. They will also look into whether there were more people inside the building than allowed.

Iron grill bars on windows are common in offices, factories and homes in the Philippines to keep away thieves. In workplaces or factories, they are also meant to prevent employees from stealing equipment or products.

Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian said that a workers log book was lost in the fire and the foreman was among the dead, making it difficult to determine how many were inside the factory at the time.

The chief of the national police medical examiner’s office, Emmanuel Aranas, said fingerprints could no longer be used to identify the burnt victims and forensic officers will have to rely on dental records, DNA and personal items to identify the bodies.

Gatchalian said the fire was apparently ignited by sparks from welding work at the factory’s main entrance door, triggering an explosion of the chemicals used to make the slippers. Workers fled to the second floor where they were trapped, he said.

District Fire Marshal Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu said that the building had other exits but apparently the workers were overwhelmed by the thick black smoke from the burning rubber and chemicals, which are highly flammable and caused the blaze to spread quickly.

Associated Press/ My way

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3 responses to “Philippine factory fire killed at least 72 people”

  1. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    “Justice For Workers’ would be a better sign … too late for justice for the dead.
    Sure not the first time such a fate met slaves locked into the work-dens.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      ISDS is just a fancy way to give corporations a special legal system that circumvents democratically accountable laws and courts.

      ISDS allows corporations to directly challenge almost any law or regulation based on ill-defined concepts such as “fair and equitable treatment.” In contrast, all provisions for enforcing labor rights in the TPP require action by member governments — neither workers nor unions can enforce the labor rights provisions on their own even by suing in national courts.

      I’m not just talking theory here. In the first three years of the Labor Action Plan in Colombia, 73 trade unionists were murdered for trying to organize workers. These are men and women just like you and me who were killed for trying to exercise their rights under the law and speak in a collective voice. That’s terrible, and yet these trade deals have been completely ineffective in addressing this injustice. And the U.S. government has taken no official “trade” action in response. Anyone with a lick of common sense can tell you that not only are these killings a human rights catastrophe, they are driving down wages and workplace standards in Colombia — and in every country that trades with Colombia.

      But here’s the thing: unlike the clunky labor provisions, which require workers to wait for government action, these ISDS provisions can be used immediately by multinational firms to challenge efforts by TPP member countries to develop a modern regulatory state in key areas. ISDS tilts the playing field away from democracy, from workers and consumers, and toward big business and multinational investors.

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-johnson/now-we-know-why-huge-tpp_b_6956540.html

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