A building collapsed yesterday in Divisoria, Manila’s classic bargain street-shopping district. The building owner himself is claiming that the collapse was caused by multiple excavations in lots adjacent to the property. That would not surprise me at all; there are construction firms in Manila who could not care less about the effects of their digging. I remember people being concerned that the huge foundation being dug at the corner of EDSA and Ortigas Ave (formerly Tropical Hut) might destabilize the pillars supporting the flyover there, possibly causing it to collapse with the next typhoon. (I also remember hoping that such a disaster could fortuitously happen at the height of the “EDSA III” riot. Hee. Sorry po.)

Gladly, the occupants of the unfortunate building in Divisoria had lots of advanced warning when the whole structure started leaning over earlier the same morning, so no one was hurt — except for a city administrator whose knee was injured in the stampede of usiseros (kibitzers) running from the scene as the structure fell into the building across the street.

• AP and Reuters photos of the collapse from Yahoo
• More on the collapse, Divisoria, Manila, and Metro Manila from Sassy Lawyer.
• News first found via Raffy.

Update: Video of the collapse.