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MANILA, May 14 (UPI) -- A fire in a slipper and shoe factory in a suburb of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, has killed at least 72 people, law enforcement officials said Thursday. Workers have claimed of poor safety and health standards in the factory. Police are working to find and charge those responsible for the fire that began Wednesday in the Valenzuela suburb.
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"Definitely there will be charges here, because people died," Leonardo Espina, acting national police chief, said.
"Regardless of whether it was an accident or arson, people died. We are just determining what exactly happened so that we can clearly define what charges to file," Espina added.
The fire was apparently started when sparks from welding works near the building's entrance ignited flammable chemicals used to produce rubber slippers.
Many people were reportedly trapped in the second floor of the building by iron grills on windows.
The factory is owned by Kentex Manufacturing Corp.
The log book detailing how many people were working at the time was apparently lost in the fire, but the owner estimates there were between 200 to 300 people inside the building.
"We were running not knowing exactly where to go," Lisandro Mendoza, who escaped the flames, said.
The fire began at noon and was eventually extinguished by evening.
"We tried to put the fire out by pouring water and using the fire extinguisher but it was difficult already," Steve Chua, a factory worker, told CNN.
Many of the recovered bodies have been burned beyond recognition and will be identified by using descriptions of teeth and other physical characteristics by forensic experts.
