Indonesia school collapse: 65 students feared trapped under rubble

Sidoarjo: At least 65 students are believed to be trapped under the rubble of an Islamic school building that collapsed in Indonesia.

Rescuers have been providing oxygen and water to students still trapped under the unstable concrete debris while working to free survivors on Tuesday morning, more than 12 hours after the building fell. At least one student has died, dozens are injured, and 65 are presumed buried in the rubble.

Rescue workers, police and soldiers who continued digging through the night managed to pull out eight weak and injured survivors more than eight hours after the collapse at Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, East Java. Rescuers also saw additional bodies, suggesting that the death toll may rise.

Families of students gathered at hospitals or near the collapsed building, anxiously waiting for news of their children. Relatives were seen wailing as rescuers brought a dusty, injured student out from a buried hall.

A notice board at the command post in the school complex listed 65 people as missing as of Tuesday morning. The students were mainly boys in grades seven to 11, aged between 12 and 17.

What challenges are rescuers facing?

Heavy slabs of concrete and unstable parts of the building have made search and rescue operations difficult, said Nanang Sigit, the search and rescue officer leading the effort. Heavy equipment was available but could not be used due to the risk of further collapse.

Sigit said, “We have been running oxygen and water to those still trapped under the debris and keeping them alive while we work hard to get them out.”

He added that rescuers had seen several bodies under the rubble but were focusing on saving those still alive.

Several hundred rescuers were involved in the operation, equipped with tools for breathing, extrication, medical evacuation and other support.

How did the collapse happen?

The students had been performing afternoon prayers in a building undergoing an unauthorised expansion when it suddenly collapsed on top of them, said provincial police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast.

Residents, teachers and administrators assisted injured students, many of whom had head injuries or broken bones. Female students, who were praying in another part of the building, managed to escape, survivors reported.

One male student was killed, and 99 other students were injured and taken to hospitals, some in critical condition, officials said.

Why did the building collapse?

Authorities are investigating the cause. Abast explained, “The old prayer hall was two stories but two more were being added without a permit.”

He added, “The old building’s foundation was apparently unable to support two floors of concrete and collapsed during the pouring process.”
AP inputs