MANILA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE) – A portion of the ceiling of a newly opened shopping center in Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City collapsed Friday, November 8, as Typhoon Yolanda continued to batter parts of the country.
Photos on social media showed the ceiling above the inner walkway of UP Town Center, a development of Ayala Land Inc, fell to the floor and escalator.
A statement from Ayala Land sent Saturday morning says: “Around 11:20 pm yesterday [Friday, November 8], a portion of the ceiling in the breezeway of UP Town Center fell due to extremely strong winds brought by super Typhoon Yolanda. There were three minor injuries reported. Those affected were brought immediately to the hospital for treatment and have already been sent home by the doctors. We will continue to monitor their condition. Normal mall operations will resume at 11 am today [Saturday, November 9].”
In its official Facebook page, UP Town Center said the affected area has been “cleared and secured” as of 2 pm Saturday.
PJ La Viña, a nearby resident, said a number of establishments, including a donut shop and a convenience store, were still open when the ceiling collapsed.
Metro Manila was placed under signal number 2 at 5 am Friday. The storm signal was lowered to number 1 at 5 pm, and was finally lifted at 11 pm. State weather bureau PAGASA earlier warned of intense rainfall in Metro Manila by 5 pm Friday.
UP Town Center has only been in business for less than a month. It opened its doors to the public mid-October this year. The Ayala Land project is on the site of what used to be the University of the Philippines Integrated School. – Angela Casauay/Rappler.com
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