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91 still trapped days after Indonesia school building collapse
The building, whose upper floors were under construction, collapsed on top of hundreds of people, mostly teenage boys who were performing afternoon prayers.
At least 91 people are still trapped under massive piles of concrete after an Islamic school building in Indonesia collapsed while they were praying inside on Monday.
The victims were mostly boys in grades seven to 12, aged between 12 and 18. Survivors said the female students were praying in a different part of the building and managed to escape.
According to Reuters, ninety-nine children and staff at the school survived the collapse.
Days after the incident at the century-old Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in East Java province, the National Disaster Management Agency confirmed at least 91 students missing, three dead, and 100 others injured with head injuries and broken bones.
Indonesia school building collapse
The building, whose upper floors were under construction, collapsed on top of hundreds of people, mostly teenage boys who were performing afternoon prayers on Monday.
On Wednesday morning, more than 300 rescue workers were deployed to search for survivors in the ruins.
Rescuers have been pushing water, oxygen, and food supplies through narrow gaps to the children still trapped under the debris to keep them alive.
According to the National Disaster Management Agency, at least six students are still alive beneath the rubble. However, heavy parts of the structure and large slabs of concrete have made the search operation difficult.
Why did the building collapse?
Authorities said the prayer hall already had two storeys, but two more were being added without a permit.
Police said the old building’s foundation was unable to support the extra weight of concrete and gave way during the pouring process.
Holy Abdullah Arif, 49, described searching for his nephew in the ruins while holding up a picture of Rosi, who is among the missing students.
He told Reuters, “I ran around screaming, 'Rosi! Rosi! If you can hear me and can move, get out!' And then a child was screaming back from the rubble, he was stuck. I thought that was Rosi, so I asked, 'Are you Rosi?' and the child said, 'God, no, help me!'”
With inputs from AP
