Scores Killed in Philippine Fire
Fire swept through a six-story budget hotel before dawn today, killing at least 68 people, many trapped in their rooms by anti-burglar bars, firefighters said. Some victims had been attending a religious convention sponsored by a U.S.-based ministry.
The blaze at the Manor Hotel in Quezon City was the country’s deadliest at a hotel and the worst fire in the Philippines since flames swept through a Manila discotheque in 1996 and killed 160 people.
A large number of the dead was packed into bathrooms after apparently trying to escape the flames and smoke, the firefighters said. Several more people were injured.
About 170 hotel guests were attending a convention in Manila sponsored by Don Clowers Ministry of Irving, Texas, local officials and ministry spokesmen said. It wasn’t immediately clear how many were among the victims or if foreigners were among those killed.
Firefighters said they recovered 68 bodies but were still searching rooms for more victims.
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