‘Structural failure': Indonesia Islamic school building collapse kills 3 students, many still trapped | Top points
Authorities said that the building, in which the students were attending afternoon prayers at the time of collapse, was undergoing an unauthorised expansion.
At least three people died in the collapse of an Islamic school building in Indonesia, with rescuers still racing against time to save at least 38 people still believed to be trapped under the rubble.
The multi-storeyed building of the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in the Sidoarjo town in East Java collapsed when over 100 students had assembled for afternoon prayers.
National Search and Rescue Agency chief Mohammad Syafii said that "the number of victims is 102 people, consisting of 99 survivors and 3 deaths".
Indonesia building collapse | Top Points
⦁ Rescue ops on: National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Abdul Muhari said that 38 people were still unaccounted, adding that 77 injured victims had been evacuated to several hospitals. National Search and Rescue Agency head Mohammad Syafii, meanwhile, said rescuers were working urgently to save those still believed to be trapped, but warned that the rubble was unstable, with concrete pillars piled on top of each other. While heavy equipment like cranes and excavators could speed up the debris removal process, "moving the concrete can actually threaten the lives of survivors who may still be trapped", Syafii added.
⦁ Oxygen and water to survivors: Rescuers took oxygen and water to survivors trapped in the unstable rubble of the collapsed school building, as efforts to evacuate them continued on Tuesday. The rescue operation was halted temporarily at around 10:15 am (local time) as the collapsed concrete shook suddenly. The work resumed around 1:45 pm.
⦁ Cause of collapse: A school official reportedly said that construction work had been ongoing for the past nine months. BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari said that the building collapsed due to the failure of its foundation pillars to support the weight of the new construction of the school's fourth floor. Muhari further called for stringent safety standards, urging the public and building managers to oversee construction processes more carefully to prevent such incidents.
⦁ Unauthorised building expansion: Provincial police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast said that the building in which the children were praying was undergoing an unauthorised expansion at the time of the collapse. The old prayer hall was two stories, but two more were being added without permission, Abast added.
⦁ Grieving families: Families continue to anxiously await the news about their kids at hospitals or near the collapsed school building. A mother saw her child's name on the 'missing list' on the notice board and cried, "Oh my God...my son is still buried, oh my God, please help!" While a father held the hands of a rescue official and pleaded, "Please, sir, please find my child immediately."
⦁ A century-old board school: The world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, Indonesia, calls Islamic boarding schools "pesantren", and its students "santri". The Al Khoziny school is named after KH Raden Khozin Khoiruddi, an influential figure in East Java. Several prominent Islamic scholars have studied at this school, with the local community often calling it the Buduran Islamic Boarding School, referring to its location in Sioarjo district's Buduran village. The boarding school is the oldest among the 7,3000 pesantrens in the province. It is said to have recorded its first students in 1920, before the boarding school was officially established in 1927.
⦁ The victims: The students were performing afternoon prayers in the building when it suddenly collapsed on them, said police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast. Female students managed to escape the incident as they were praying in another part of the building. Abdul Muhari said that one male student, a 13-year-old boy, was found dead on Monday, and 102 students and teachers were injured and taken to hospitals. Notopuro General Hospital director Atok Irawan said that two other male students died while undergoing treatment. Among the other wounded, Irawan said, at least one student had to have his arm amputated, and two others underwent surgery for head injuries.
(with inputs from agencies)
