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37 Dead in Philippines Mall Fire

Manila (December 26, 2017): More than three dozen people were killed when a fire broke out at a shopping mall in the southern Philippines city of Davao, said authorities.

All 37 were call center agents working for Research Now Survey Sampling International (SSI), a business processing outsourcing company based in the mall, company and city officials said.“This terrible tragedy has left us with heavy hearts,” CEO Gary S. Laben said in a statement. “We offer our condolences and prayers to the families and loved ones of the victims.”

The mayor of Davao also confirmed that all 37 of the people caught in the fire were call center agents for SSI, located on the fourth floor of the mall.

President Rodrigo Duterte said during a meeting with the families of the missing that there was “zero chance of survival.”

Davao is Duterte’s hometown. He was mayor of Davao City and still has a residence there. The city is about 1,514 kilometers (941 miles) south of Manila.

Sunday morning, Emmanuel Jaldon, the chief operating officer for the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said firefighters were in the last phase before declaring the fire out. He said the fire was “technically contained.”

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