Rescuers in Indonesia are racing to find dozens of people feared trapped after an Islamic boarding school collapsed in East Java. The Indonesian school collapse took place at the Al Khoziny boarding school in Sidoarjo during afternoon prayers, leaving three people confirmed dead.
According to disaster officials, 99 people survived the incident, but 38 remain missing. Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, said heavy equipment such as excavators and cranes were being used to move the rubble.
The Indonesian school collapse is believed to have been caused by an unstable building structure. Disaster mitigation agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari explained that the building collapsed while construction work was underway. Falling debris struck students and workers during prayers, causing chaos.
Local rescue official Nanang Sigit confirmed that 38 people were still missing. He said heavy machinery would not be used near fragile parts of the building to avoid further collapse. Nearly 80 injured victims have been hospitalized.
Video from KompasTV showed families waiting anxiously, checking a whiteboard listing survivors. Many relatives gathered at the scene, hoping for updates on missing loved ones.
Authorities reported that the foundation of the building may not have been strong enough to support recent construction. Al Khoziny caretaker Abdus Salam Mujib told Antara news agency that work on the building had finished before the collapse, but the foundations could not handle the added weight of a fourth floor.
The tragedy has drawn attention to construction safety standards in Indonesia, where rapid development sometimes overlooks building regulations. Officials said investigations would continue to determine responsibility for the collapse.
The Indonesian school collapse has left families in shock and rescuers working tirelessly. Emergency crews stressed that finding survivors remains their top priority as search efforts continue.
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