Thirty-seven people are believed to have died in a fire that engulfed a shopping mall in the southern Philippine city of Davao, local authorities have said.
A fire commander at the scene said the chances of the 37 surviving were "zero", Davao's deputy mayor, who is also the president's son, wrote in a Facebook post.
The blaze started at the four-storey NCCC Mall morning and people were trapped inside, including at a call centre on the top floor, a police officer in the district, told AFP.
He said the fire was still going before dawn this morning, nearly 24 hours later.
"The fire started on the third floor, which houses products like fabrics, wooden furniture and plastic ware, so the fire quickly spread and it's taking a long time to put out," he said.
The police officer said investigators believed some of those likely killed had been trapped in the call centre, which operated 24 hours a day.
"It's possible that while they were working, they did not immediately notice the fire spreading," he said of the call centre workers.
He said the reason for the blaze was not immediately known.
President Rodrigo Duterte, who served as mayor of Davao for about two decades and continues to live in the city, visited the mall last night to comfort relatives of the victims.
