A desperate search is underway in Indonesia as disaster crews race to save at least 30 students believed to be trapped after an Islamic boarding school tragically collapsed during a prayer service. The incident, which occurred on Monday afternoon in the Indonesian province of East Java, has already claimed the lives of at least three children, with dozens more sustaining injuries.
Gatot Subroto, head of the province’s disaster management agency, confirmed the fatalities and injuries via text message, indicating that approximately 100 students were rushed to hospitals, some in critical condition. Nanang Sigit, from East Java’s National Search and Rescue Agency, reported that rescuers have managed to locate 11 students, but at least 30 remain unaccounted for.
Mr. Gatot emphasized the urgency of their efforts to maximize the chances of finding survivors. However, Mr. Nanang highlighted the significant challenges, noting that the remaining structure is highly unstable and poses a risk of further collapse, complicating rescue operations.
Authorities have not yet provided a precise cause for the school’s collapse in Sidoarjo. Mr. Nanang explained that workers were pouring concrete on the top floor when the building’s pillars gave way, causing the upper section to crash down onto a lower floor where students were engaged in prayer.
Indonesia is home to the world’s largest Muslim population, with over 30,000 Islamic boarding schools, known as pesantren, providing education and residency for children, often from rural communities. The Ministry of Religious Affairs oversees these institutions.
Officials have expressed concerns that the death toll in Sidoarjo could escalate. Rescuers are diligently providing trapped students with water and food, but there are growing worries about diminishing oxygen and water supplies. Crews are strategically digging access points, recognizing that children may be scattered throughout the debris.
While excavators are on standby, officials are hesitant to deploy them, fearing that heavy machinery could destabilize the precarious structure further, thereby endangering potential survivors. Shoddy construction practices have been a persistent issue in Indonesia, contributing to building collapses during earthquakes and due to general structural weaknesses. For instance, in 2022, a severe earthquake on Java, the country’s main island, resulted in hundreds of deaths and widespread destruction of homes and buildings.
Notably, the U.S. Geological Survey reported no seismic activity in the region at the time of the school’s collapse, suggesting other factors were at play in this tragic event.