Search continues in Indonesia for 38 people missing under collapsed school rubble

Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) announced that search and rescue efforts are continuing in Sidoarjo, East Java, to find 38 people believed to be still trapped under the rubble of the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School, which collapsed earlier today.

The BNPB explained that rescue teams have been continuing their efforts since the morning hours, using heavy equipment and police dogs, despite difficult conditions that hinder access to the victims.

Head of BNPB’s Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, confirmed that 38 people were still missing, and 102 others have been evacuated from the area. Of these, 91 managed to escape on their own, while 11 were rescued by joint search and rescue personnel.

Muhari confirmed that one of the 11 rescued victims was found dead, while 77 injured people were transferred to nearby hospitals.

He stressed that multi-story buildings, especially those used for educational purposes and inhabited by many people, must be subject to strict construction supervision.

Preliminary findings indicate that the building’s foundation was unable to support the weight of ongoing construction work on the fourth floor, causing the entire building to collapse.