JAKARTA, Oct 1 — Rescuers are battling against time to save 91 students feared trapped under the rubble of a collapsed Islamic boarding school building, Pondok Pesantren Al Khozyni, in Sidoarjo, East Java, authorities said.
The updated figure, based on student attendance data, is more than double the earlier report of 38, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).
BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a statement that three students had died, 27 were hospitalised across six hospitals, and 70 had been discharged.
The four-storey building crumbled on Monday afternoon while workers were pouring concrete on the top floor, burying students and workers beneath the rubble of concrete and steel.
“Rescue teams are digging manually, and six students are thought to be alive in one section of the rubble.
“Food and water are being passed through gaps to sustain them. Heavy machinery has not been used due to fears that vibrations could trigger further collapse,” Abdul Muhari added.
The collapse was attributed to a construction technology failure, he said.
National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) search and rescue (SAR) mission coordinator Nanang Sigit said the main challenges in the evacuation process were the building’s fragile structure and the piles of concrete debris that hindered the team’s movement.
A sombre atmosphere pervaded the pesantren and hospitals, as families anxiously waited for updates on missing students or for news about relatives undergoing treatment.
The head of the pesantren, KH Abdus Salam Mujib, subsequently apologised to the families of the victims.
Meanwhile, three people were reported injured in a magnitude 6.5 earthquake that struck Sumenep regency in East Java province on Tuesday night.
The quake also damaged 30 houses, four places of worship and one health facility, said BNPB in its preliminary reports early today.
“Power in Gayam district was briefly cut but has since been restored,” BNPB spokesperson Muhari said in a statement.
According to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the earthquake occurred at 11.49pm local time. Its epicentre was under the sea, approximately 50km southeast of Sumenep, at a depth of 11km.
The tremors were felt as weak to moderate in parts of Bali province, including Gianyar, Buleleng, Tabanan, Denpasar and Kuta.
