Rescuers in Indonesia are racing against time to save lives after a school building collapsed, leaving at least 91 people trapped under the rubble. The disaster hit the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, East Java, trapping students—mostly teenage boys—and staff during afternoon prayers on Monday.
Early reports from Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) put the number of trapped people at 38, but officials have now updated that to 91. Heartbreakingly, at least six survivors remain alive beneath the debris, enduring nearly two days without escape.
The rescue teams are digging manually, creating holes and openings to reach those buried alive. They’re avoiding heavy machinery to prevent another collapse that could endanger everyone. In one section, workers have picked up signs of life from the six survivors and even passed food and water through small gaps to keep them going.
So far, the death toll from this Indonesia school collapse stands at three, with nearly 100 injuries reported. About 70 of the injured have already left the hospital, but 26 are still receiving treatment. These numbers don’t yet account for anyone still missing under the rubble.
Over 300 rescue workers, including experts from BNPB, the military, and national police, are on the scene in Sidoarjo. They’re carrying out intense search and rescue operations, determined to find every possible survivor.
Officials blame the collapse on weakened foundational pillars, which failed during unauthorized construction work on a higher floor. If searches confirm no more signs of life, crews plan to bring in heavy equipment to recover the bodies of those still trapped.
This ongoing crisis highlights the dangers of building issues in schools across Indonesia, as families and communities hold out hope for the trapped. Updates from the BNPB continue to pour in as efforts press on.
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