The body of one person was recovered from the burning commercial center, Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, the daughter of the country’s leader, said, citing the firefighters.
The mayor quoted the rescuers as saying that the 36 people who remained trapped in the mall are unlikely to "survive in that heat and with that thick, black smoke."
Paolo Duterte, the vice mayor of the city and a son of the president, has also said on his Facebook page that there was "zero" chance that anyone could be saved from the building.
The massive fire broke out on Saturday, blocking the way out of the building for dozens of people working there. The employees of a call center of a US market research company, located on the top floor, were reportedly trapped there.
Fire Traps Dozens Inside Philippines Mall https://t.co/vvgPPPHRQP pic.twitter.com/57FKtHpVPG
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The news of a fire follows reports of a climbing death toll in a storm that hit the Philippines. So far, 200 people are confirmed dead.