Over 70 dead in factory blaze in the Philippines
Five people pulled alive from the burning factory on Wednesday were taken to local hospitals.
A fire that engulfed a footwear factory in the northern Philippines has killed 72 people, authorities said Thursday.
The blaze swept through a slipper and shoe factory in Valenzuela City on Wednesday, Mayor Rex Gatchalian told reporters at a news conference.
It wasn't immediately clear whether fire officials expected to find any more bodies in the burnt-out ruins.
Five people pulled alive from the burning factory on Wednesday were taken to local hospitals. Authorities said late Wednesday that the total number of survivors was still unclear.
The blaze started before noon Wednesday, and fire officials declared it under control by late afternoon, authorities said.
The city government said the fire was believed to have been caused by sparks from welding work on the factory's gate setting alight chemicals in nearby containers.
The flames spread in seconds, witnesses said.
Thick black smoke from the highly combustible materials made it hard for the firefighters to put out the fire and look for survivors.
