Philippines factory fire kills 28 people

At least 28 people have been killed in a fire that tore through a thong-making factory in the Philippines capital Manila, the city's fire marshal says.

"They were lying side by side, but all I could see were their bones," Senior Superintendent Sergio Soriano told AFP after inspecting the gutted factory in Manila's Valenzuela industrial district on Wednesday.

A separate fire marshal, with responsibility for Valenzuela, counted 28 bodies and reported the figure to Soriano, he added.

However, the area later become structurally unstable and only three bodies have been recovered so far, Soriano added.

The fire struck the factory before noon, sending a huge column of smoke above the metropolis of 14 million people.

Valenzuela's mayor, Rex Gatchalian, gave AFP an updated list of 67 missing workers, although it was unclear if all were inside the factory at the time of the blaze.

The building security guard, Mervin Ardes, told AFP there were "more than 50" people at work inside when the blaze started.