59 people still trapped under collapsed Indonesian school
Investigations into the cause of the collapse are ongoing, but initial signs point to substandard construction, said experts.
This aerial shot taken with a drone shows the rubble of a building that collapsed at the compound of an Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, Sep 30, 2025. (Photo: AP/Trisnadi)
SIDOARJO: About 59 people remain trapped under the ruins of a collapsed school on Indonesia's main island of Java, a rescue service official said Thursday (Oct 2).
"Data updated Wednesday at 11pm indicates that 59 people are still trapped under the rubble," Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the National Disaster and Mitigation Agency, said in a statement, adding that the data was evolving as some people who survived the incident have not yet come forward.
Muhari said the figure was based on an attendance list released by the multi-storey boarding school, which gave way suddenly on Monday as students gathered for afternoon prayers, killing at least five people.
Rescuers pulled five survivors from the rubble on Wednesday as frantic parents demanded stronger efforts to find dozens of children believed to still be trapped.
Investigations into the cause of the collapse are ongoing, but initial signs point to substandard construction, experts have said.
THE RESCUE OPERATION
The rescue operation is complex, said Mohammad Syafii, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency on Wednesday.
"If vibration happens in one spot, it could affect other places. So now, to reach the spot where the victims are, we have to dig an underground tunnel," he told reporters.
Digging itself poses challenges, including possible landslides. And any tunnel will only provide an access route around 60cm wide because of the structure's concrete columns.
Technology including thermal-sensing drones is being used to locate survivors and the deceased as the 72-hour "golden period" for best survival chances nears its end.
So far, signs of life have been detected in seven areas, said rescue official Emi Freezer of the National Search and Rescue Agency.
Water and food was being sent in, but access was through a single point, he said. "The main structure has totally collapsed."
Complicating the operation, an earthquake struck offshore overnight, briefly halting the search.
Lax construction standards have raised widespread concerns about building safety in Indonesia, where it is common to leave structures - particularly houses - partially completed, allowing owners to add extra floors later when their budgets permit.
Earlier this month, at least three people were killed and dozens injured when a building hosting a prayer recital collapsed in West Java province.
