[link to www.cnn.com]

(CNN)At least 45 people have been killed and 26 others are missing after a fire engulfed a footwear factory in the northern Philippines late Wednesday.

The blaze swept through a slipper and shoe factory in Valenzuela City, Mayor Rexlon Gathcalian told reporters at a news conference Thursday.

He said the facility was owned by the Kentex Manufacturing Corp.

Valenzuela City is part of the densely populated metropolitan region around the Philippine capital, Manila.