Three people were killed on Sunday in a fire that broke out in a hotel in the Philippine capital, Manila.
Nearly two dozen people were injured in the blaze at the Manila Pavilion Hotel, said police and rescue officials.
The death toll had been reduced from four to three, said Johnny Yu, chief of the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.
"The smoke is very heavy and, second, there's the wind that we're trying to overcome," Yu said. "Our firefighters are having a lot of difficulty."
Two employees of a casino at the hotel were missing and rescue operations were ongoing, Manila Police District spokesman Erwin Margarejo told Reuters.
Police said it remains unclear if the fire at the hotel, which was still raging after seven hours, started in the casino in the lower floors or in an area of the hotel that was under renovation.
TV footage showed dark gray smoke billowing from the first and second floors of the hotel as rescuers brought people out of the building.
Police and firefighters blocked off the areas around the hotel, which lies in the heart of Manila's tourist district, to allow dozens of firetrucks to approach and help fight the blaze.
