Pinay OFWs recount terrifying escape from deadly Hong Kong apartment fire
- A Filipina nanny carried a toddler and guided a senior employer down 17 floors to escape the blaze
- She says her determination to return home to her children kept her moving through the smoke and flames
- Another OFW survived after her employer alerted her about the fire just in time
- One Filipina died and another was injured while trying to save the baby under her care
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A Filipina overseas worker in Hong Kong has shared the harrowing moments she fought to save herself, the two-year-old child she cares for, and the child’s grandmother during the massive apartment fire in Tai Po District on November 26.
Source: UGC
The blaze, which swept through seven buildings, claimed more than 150 lives.
Vame Mariz Verador said they were on the 17th floor when the chaos erupted.
She recalled that bamboo scaffolding attached to the structure had begun collapsing and the nets wrapped around the buildings for renovation were already burning. She said she refused to give in to fear.
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"Sabi ko ‘di puwede ‘na’ ‘di ako makalabas dito, kailangan naming mabuhay," says Verador.
Carrying the toddler in her arms and guiding the elderly woman behind her, Verador chose the stairwell as their only escape route.
When they reached the 15th floor, she smelled thick smoke. She admitted that panic began to set in, but her resolve grew stronger.
"Sabi ko kailangan kong umuwi ng Pilipinas para sa mga anak ko," says Verador.
With every floor they descended, the heat intensified. By the fifth floor, she said the child was crying loudly because of the suffocating conditions.
Despite this, Verador pressed on until they finally reached safety outside the burning complex.
She was stunned to see the neighboring building completely engulfed.
"Natulala ako, hindi ako makagalaw," says Verador.
Another Filipina domestic worker, Rowena Paril, also survived with her employer.
She said she only learned about the fire because her employer called her.
"Siguro kung hindi tumawag si sir sa akin patay talaga ako," says Paril.
Authorities confirmed that OFW Maryan Pascual Esteban died in the tragedy, while Rhodora Alcaraz survived but was injured while trying to save the infant she was caring for.
In an earlier report by KAMI, a family of three was gruesomely killed inside their small store in Barangay Mallorca, San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija. CCTV footage captured three unidentified assailants entering the establishment, lowering the roll-up door, and shooting the victims repeatedly until they collapsed. Before fleeing, one of the men was seen taking a bag and a mobile phone belonging to the family. According to Gary De Leon of TV5’s Frontline Pilipinas, the victims had recently started receiving threats after lending P1 million to a fellow resident who allegedly used the money for business.
In another incident that gained widespread attention, a 51-year-old public school teacher in Las Piñas City was stabbed multiple times by her husband. As reported by EJ Gomez on Unang Balita, the 38-year-old suspect launched the attack inside the school’s faculty room. Although a security guard was stationed on campus, authorities said the man was familiar to staff members, which made it easy for him to enter and exit the school. The husband later claimed he had gone there only to speak with his wife and resolve their misunderstanding, but the discussion escalated into a confrontation that turned violent.
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Source: KAMI.com.gh
