Philippine hotel owner may face charges

The authorities in the Philippines are considering taking criminal charges against the owner of a hotel in Manila where 72 people died in a fire yesterday morning.

Most of the victims were trapped inside the six-storey hotel in the Quezon City suburb by anti-burglary iron bars which were attached to the building’s windows.

The hotel also had no emergency alarms, no functioning fire equipment and inadequate escape routes.

The Bureau of Fire Protection has established a special team to investigate the blaze at the Manor Hotel and to gather evidence against its owner, William Genato, who is being sought for questioning.

The criminal investigation into the fire could also implicate government officials who allowed the hotel to operate despite its defects.