Three dead, dozens trapped after Indonesian school collapses on students
Rescue operations are in progress to retrieve dozens of students and staff trapped beneath the rubble of a school building that collapsed in East Java, Indonesia.
As of Tuesday, officials confirmed three fatalities and 99 hospitalizations, with some injuries classified as critical, and cautioned that the death toll may escalate.
At least 38 individuals, mostly teenage boys, remain trapped beneath the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, East Java, after the building collapsed during prayers on Monday.
The disaster mitigation agency attributed the collapse to the two-story building’s unstable foundation, which was unable to support the weight of two additional floors.
As reported by the Associated Press, the girls were praying in a different part of the building and managed to escape. The students at the school are between the ages of 12 and 17. Local media footage shows the collapsed section of the building completely sunken in, with large concrete slabs protruding.
Authorities reported hearing crying and shouting from the rubble, while anxious relatives camped out at the school overnight awaiting news of their loved ones.
The rescue effort, which involved dozens of rescuers searching for survivors overnight, was temporarily suspended on Tuesday due to the risk of further building collapse.
Mohammad Syafeii, head of the search and rescue agency Basarnas, stated that the collapsed building has taken on “a pancake type structure with layers of concrete slabs leaving only narrow voids, unstable conditions, and the possibility of survivors still trapped.”
His agency is preparing for a “specialised operation” and has deployed units from around the region that will be equipped with “special extrication “tools”, he said.
Mr Syafeii also noted the challenge with the use of heavy equipment, such as cranes and excavators. While they help lift the concrete slabs and open access, “shifting the slabs may also endanger the lives of survivors still trapped beneath the rubble”, he said.
Teenage survivors recount harrowing ordeal
Rosida, whose son Kaffa Ahmad Maulana is among the missing, reported that she has been waiting for news since Monday evening. Her last conversation with him, which took place on the day before the incident, seemed ordinary, according to the 47-year-old. Another of her children, who was also impacted by the collapse, is currently being treated at a hospital.
Students who survived the incident have been sharing their harrowing escape stories with local media. Seventh grader Muhammad Rijalul Qoib stated that hundreds of people had gathered to pray when they heard the sound of falling rocks.
“It got louder and louder,” the 13-year-old told detikJatim, adding that he immediately ran outside. He was hit by falling roof debris but managed to escape the rubble.
Another student, Sofa, informed Kompas of witnessing students with numerous injuries. “There were also broken bones,” he stated.
The school’s caretaker, KH Abdus Salam Mujib, extended apologies to the students’ families on Monday, attributing the incident to divine intervention.
“Hopefully, God will replace it with something better,” he said.
Sidoarjo town’s regent claims the school’s management had not obtained permits for the expansion of the building. Al Khoziny is a traditional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia known as a pesantren.
Traditionally, pesantren focus on Islamic studies, such as memorizing the Quran, learning Arabic, and Islamic law, but many now also offer general education. Unlike regular schools, pesantren fall under the authority of Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, not the Ministry of Education.
However, oversight is often limited. Many pesantren operate informally, without strong regulation or consistent monitoring. Indonesia’s construction sector has a poor safety record, with the International Labour Organization rating it among the worst globally.
Earlier this month, at least four people were killed and dozens injured when a building where people had gathered for a prayer recital collapsed suddenly in West Java.
Source: BBC
