Slippers Factory Fire Kills 72

Rescuers pulled dozens of charred bodies from the ashes of the two-storey building on the outskirts of capital Manila as survivors claimed they were given no safety training.

The blaze is thought to have begun after sparks from welding equipment used to repair a gate ignited flammable chemicals.

Workers fled as the fire took hold but many were trapped inside, reportedly due to a lack of fire exits.

Police said they expected to charge the factory owners over the tragedy.

"Many of those retrieved were reduced to skulls and bones," police chief Leonardo Espina told reporters.

"Someone will definitely be charged because of the deaths. It doesn't matter if it's an accident – people died. Right now we are investigating to clearly define what happened."

Those who escaped the blaze said employees were paid less than the minimum wage to produce slippers and sandals in sweatshop conditions.

Regular fires rip through Manila homes

Janet Victoriano had worked at the factory for five years and escaped the fire because she was near the front door when it took hold.

"I had never been involved in a fire drill ever," she told local radio station DZMM.

Lisandro Mendoza, 23, was paid the equivalent of £6.90 per day to mix chemicals at the factory. He claimed there had been no fire safety training in the five months he worked there.

He said: "I was having lunch when I saw smoke coming from the front, then I just ran and kept running."

Rodrigo Nabor was among relatives waiting for body bags at a village hall that had been converted into a morgue. His sisters Bernardita, 32, and Jennylyn, 26, remain unaccounted for.

"I've lost hope that they survived," he said. "I can't explain how I'm feeling. I didn't sleep at all last night. I just kept walking around the factory hoping for news."

Mr Nabor said his sisters often complained of foul-smelling chemicals and were paid the equivalent of £4.25 per day depending on the number of sandals they made.

Deadly fires regularly rip through poor areas of Manila mostly in shanty homes where there are virtually no fire safety standards.