Philippine firefighters have found all 37 bodies of employees of a U.S.-based company who were trapped in a blaze that gutted a shopping mall in southern Davao city.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said that firefighters initially found one body at the NCCC Mall on Sunday [url=http://www.interstoremilano.it/maglia-milan-skriniar-inter.html]Maglia Milan Skriniar Inter Milano[/url] , but that extreme heat and thick smoke prevented them from retrieving the bodies of the 36 other employees until Monday.

Senior Superintendent Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu, regional director of the Bureau of Fire Protection, relayed the news to the employees' relatives, who broke into tears. They were told the bodies would be identified by authorities then turned over to their families.

All the dead were employees at a call center on the top floor of the four-story mall and run by U.S.-based Research Now SSI, which employs about 500 people. Its chief executive officer, Gary Laben, said the company would help with funeral arrangements and create a fund for contributions for the victims' families.

"This terrible tragedy has left us with heavy hearts," Laben said.

Duterte-Carpio and Tiu spoke at a Mass outside the burned mall, where the fire broke out Saturday morning on the third floor, where clothes, appliances and furniture are sold. The fire started after a storm hit Davao and flooded parts of the city.

Except for a grocery store on the ground floor and the call center on the top floor, the shopping areas were still closed to the public when the fire started mid-morning, preventing a bigger tragedy amid the peak Christmas shopping season.

President Rodrigo Duterte went to the scene of the fire and met with relatives of the trapped office employees late Saturday. He served as Davao mayor for many years before being elected to the presidency last year.

Agencies

TIANJIN, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The 13th Chinese National Games wrapped up the Day 2 competitions after the official kick-off with a world record equaled in shooting and a rowing Olympic medalist retaining the title here on Tuesday.

Gao Chang, a Beijing native, tied the world record of 594 points in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions qualifier in the morning, before finishing third on podium with 448.3 points in the final.

It's a national record from the 22-year-old who scored 197 points from the kneeling position, 497 points after the prone one, finishing 594 points with the standing phase during the qualifier.

"I am satisfied with my shot. The qualifier was beyond my expectations, and that made me a little emotional," said Gao.

Croatian Snjezana Pejcic set the world record of 594 in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions qualifier at ISSF World Cup stage in Rio de Janeiro on April 22, 2016. The Chinese record of the event was 593 points.

Defending champion Chang Jing from Henan, 30, who qualified on third place, led the final from the first series to the last shot with 461.7 points to retain her National Games title of the event with no doubt.

On men's part, reigning champion Yang Haoran, 21, resumed his success in men's 10m air rifle and pocketed the gold for Hebei with 248.9 points.

"I do not think my experience in Rio Games was a setback. It made me more mature actually," said Yang who, also a world champion and World Cup winner, finished a disappointing 31st at last year's Rio Olympics.

On the rowing course, the 2016 Rio Olympic bronze medalist Duan Jingli defended her title at the women's single sculls with a time of seven minutes and 32.49 seconds, edging Chen Yunxia of Shanghai to the second place by nearly four seconds.

Duan, who improved China's highest rank in Olympics after taking home a bronze medal in the Rio Games in 2016, eight years after Zhang Xiuyun finished the fourth in Beijing Olympics.

"I always think I am capable of winning the crown," she said, "but I am also impressed by the performances of Chen and Wu when I realize that they are four or five years younger than me."

This is the first major event the 28-year-old Duan participated in after the 2016 Games and she only trained for three months, not to mention the lingering injuries.

"I believe that we'll prepare for the Tokyo Olympic Games together in the future," she added.

In the open water play on Tuesday, the Olympic fourth-place finisher Xin Xin dominated the women's 10km marathon swimming and defended her title in one hour 59 minutes and 56.51 seconds.

The 21-year-old, who was placed the 11th at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Budapest last month, beat 40 rivals in the event by leading from the start to the end.

"I like to swim in the open water because of the fresh air and water. I just swam at my own pace. I was satisfied with my result," said the defending champion in the 800m freestyle, who'll also swim 800m and 1500m in the National Games.

A total of 40 men swimmers will compete in the 10km race on Aug. 30 while the swimming pool competition starts on Aug. 31.

Late in the evening, world No. 1 Xu Anqi from Jiangsu, a member of the Chinese women's epee team who won the 2012 Olympic team gold and the 2015 world team title, took her first individual crown at the National Games, while the Rio bronze medalist Sun Yiwen was ousted in the quarters.

Another 11 finals on equestrian, fencing, trampoline, weightlifting, rowing, shooting and Wushu were completed Tuesday in the National Games, China's premier quadrennial multi sports event slated on Aug. 27-Sept. 8.

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