Copyright: chrishowey / 123RF Stock Photo

Three PAGCOR employees have died in a fire at the Manila Pavillion hotel and casino in the Philippines while two more staff remain unaccounted for and are feared dead, the regulator has confirmed.

In a statement, PAGCOR, which owns and operates the venue, said: “On March 18, a fire broke out at the Manila Pavilion Hotel along United Nations Avenue in Ermita, Manila. The fire which started around 9.30am, reportedly emanated from the hotel’s second floor which is under renovation.

“Due to this unfortunate event, the PAGCOR’s Casino Filipino Pavilion branch was gravely affected as three of its 73 employees on duty perished, one is in critical condition, while two are still unaccounted for.

“While PAGCOR deeply grieves for the loss of our employees, we will do our best to ensure that the bereaved families will receive all the support that they need – from the hospitalisation of our employee who is in a critical state, burial expenses of those who died in the incident and provision of jobs to the next of kin.”

PAGCOR went on to praise its employees’ “sense of camaraderie and heroism” and to confirm that an investigation into the cause of the fire continues.