A frantic search and rescue operation is underway in Indonesia after an Islamic boarding school tragically collapsed during a prayer service, leaving at least 30 students missing. The devastating incident has already claimed the lives of at least three children.
The collapse occurred on Monday afternoon at the school located in the East Java province. Gatot Subroto, head of the province’s disaster management agency, confirmed three student fatalities and reported that dozens more sustained injuries.
On Tuesday morning, Nanang Sigit, head of an East Java office for Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, stated that rescuers were urgently trying to locate the missing students amidst the unstable wreckage. So far, 11 students have been successfully pulled from the rubble.
Mr. Gatot emphasized the critical need to “optimize” the available time for finding survivors. However, Mr. Nanang highlighted the immense challenges of the operation, noting that the remaining structure is highly unstable and poses a significant risk of further collapse.
Officials have not yet provided a definitive cause for the school’s collapse in Sidoarjo.
According to Mr. Nanang, construction workers were actively pouring concrete on the school’s top floor when the supporting pillars gave way. This caused the upper section of the building to crash down onto a lower floor where students were gathered for prayer.
Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, has over 30,000 Islamic boarding schools, known as pesantren. These institutions provide living and studying facilities for children, many of whom come from rural areas, as per the country’s Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Authorities fear the death toll in Sidoarjo could increase. Approximately 100 students have been hospitalized for their injuries, with some reported to be in critical condition.
Rescuers are providing water and food to those they have managed to reach. Nevertheless, serious concerns persist regarding diminishing oxygen and water supplies for students still trapped beneath the debris. Rescue teams are strategically digging holes at various points, as children are believed to be scattered throughout the collapsed structure.
Excavators are standing by, but officials are hesitant to use heavy machinery. There’s a profound fear that operating them could trigger further collapses, putting more lives at risk.
Substandard construction has frequently been an issue in Indonesia, leading to building failures during earthquakes and due to inherent structural weaknesses. For instance, in 2022, an earthquake on Java, the country’s main island, resulted in hundreds of deaths and widespread destruction of homes and buildings.
Notably, no seismic activity was reported at the time of the school’s collapse.