REGION | UPDATE on Cavite fire: Residents worries as huge smoke continue to emit from the fire site

Photo taken around 3 PM today, shows huge smokes from HTI factory at EPZA, Cavite.

Photo courtesy: MABP Paradiso for GamiawNews

GEN, TRIAS, Cavite - Nearby residents of General Trias and Rosario, Cavite worries as fire and huge smoke from HTI factory continues. This, in spite of the radio and television reports advising the public that fire was under control as of 12:30 A.M today, February 2nd.

According to Fire Officer 1 Russel Lorenzano of the BFP Cavite Provincial Office, the fire was reported around 6:19 p.m. last night, February 1st. It was around 7:50 p.m. when the BFP declared the fire under Task Force Charlie.

In a report from CNN Philippines, around 6 p.m. last night when factory employees reportedly heard a loud explosion from the molding area on the first floor of the building.

One of the employees said she was about to start her shift when the smoke detector went off, prompting her to run and spare herself from the fire.

However, Jennifer Piedad was among those who were rushed to the Divine Grace Hospital, one of the three hospitals where the victims are being treated.

Another victim, Lumberto Escorido, sustained burns covering around 40 percent of his body, according to his brother Adrian Escorido.

One woman waiting outside the compound said she and other people are looking for their relatives, fearing they might be trapped inside the building.

"May mga naghahanap sa loob, marami naghahanap... Tinanong ko mga empleyado ng HTI meron daw talagang hindi nakalabas," she said.

[Translation: There are people looking inside; a lot of people are looking. I asked HTI employees and they said there really were some people who were not able to escape.]

The Cavite governor said both the company and the local government are assisting the victims.

"The company is taking care of everything but we are here to help them...we are prepared to fork out the amounts needed to help the families," Remulla

Meanwhile, because of huge number of workers who are yet to be found, a lot of citizens in this City believes that large number of dead workers are being hidden by the Management of the Company that's why none of the news reports pointed out about possible dead victims. As of this writing, we also have received reports and messages showing burnt corpse of a victim of last night's fire in EPZA Cavite.

WARNING! Censored image: Unconfirmed burnt human corpse attributed to Cavite -EPZA fire.

Local officials are yet to confirm the authenticity of the corpse on photo.

This in spite of the assurances we're getting from concern group and local officials including those of the Company who are yet to pronounce possible number of fatalities.

On the other hand, Families of the missing workers pray that their relatives are safe and was rushed to nearby hospitals. - with reports from Harold Ayao