75 killed in Philippine hotel fire
( 2001-08-18 09:23 ) (7 )

Seventy-five people, most of them members of a Christian sect, were killed in a pre-dawn fire that destroyed a Philippine hotel Saturday, radio reports and police said.

Some 300 people were believed to be staying in the six-storey Manor Hotel in Quezon City near here when the fire started at 4:00 am (2000 GMT Friday).

DZMM radio reported that 75 people perished in the blaze which was brought under control within three hours.

A police spokesman told AFP there were 62 fatalities based on initial reports.

Many of them were believed to have died of suffocation in their rooms, overcome by thick fumes.

Reports said most of the hotel guests were members of the religious group called "God's Flock" attending a conference in Manila.

Eighteen people were rescued unharmed by firefighters using special cranes while six others escaped with injuries, he said.

Lennie Alegre, duty officer at the National Disaster Management Centre, said foreigners were not in the initial list of casualties reported.

President Gloria Arroyo had called for a probe into the circumstances under which the fire occurred and ordered the local government to coordinate with the social welfare department to assist the victims.

A police spokesman said initial reports said the fire was caused by "overheating" of the air-conditioning system.

"We are still compiling details, especially the identities of those who perished," he said.