Dozens of students trapped after school collapses in Indonesia, officials say
A dramatic rescue operation is underway in Indonesia after an Islamic boarding school collapsed on Monday just as students were gathering for afternoon prayers.
At least three students are dead and dozens of others may be trapped in the rubble following the collapse at the Al Khoziny boarding school in Sidoarjo, a town about 780 km east of Jakarta, federal emergency officials said.
Families of the trapped -- who are said to be mostly teenage boys -- waited anxiously for news as rescue teams combed through twisted debris and slabs of concrete to find 38 students and workers who were still missing.
Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management said in a statement that 77 victims were taken to hospitals for treatment.
Authorities said the building’s foundation pillars gave way while construction workers were laying down concrete. The building was reportedly undergoing an unauthorized expansion.
In a social media post, Indonesia’s disaster agency said the incident called attention to the need for the "strict implementation of construction safety standards."
"Efforts to assess the site, monitor the remaining building structure, and prepare evacuation routes for victims are the primary focus of the teams on the ground," the agency said.
Emergency teams at the site have been running oxygen and water to those who are trapped. Authorities said that several bodies were scattered under the rubble, but added that they are still focused on pulling people out alive.
This is the second major building collapse in Indonesia in less than a month.
At three people died earlier this month when a building hosting a prayer recital collapsed in West Java.
