More than two days after an Islamic boarding school collapsed in Indonesia, rescuers are locked in a race against time to reach scores of children still trapped beneath the rubble. Officials estimate that 91 students remain buried under the ruins of the Al Khoziny school in Sidoarjo, East Java, as anguished parents wait at the site, pleading for faster progress.
Three people have been confirmed dead and scores more injured, but rescue teams say they continue to detect signs of life. “We believe our children might still be alive because they were crying for help,” said father Abdul Hanan, whose 14-year-old son is among the missing. “The rescue operation must be accelerated. We are racing against time now,” he added in tears.
Why rescue is difficult
Rescue operations are proving exceptionally complex. Officials told BBC that vibrations from heavy machinery could destabilise the debris and trigger landslides, endangering survivors. Teams have instead been forced to dig underground tunnels, some just 60 centimetres wide, to reach trapped victims . “If vibration happens in one spot, it could affect other places,” explained Mohammad Syafi’i, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency.
Specialist equipment, including thermal-sensing drones, is being deployed, but progress remains slow. Authorities also briefly halted operations when an offshore earthquake struck overnight, raising fears of further collapse. Officials say in some areas they have been able to provide trapped survivors with oxygen, food and water.
Investigations into the cause of the disaster point to structural failings. The building’s foundations were unable to bear the additional weight of two extra floors, and local authorities have confirmed that permits for expansion had not been obtained. Experts warn the collapse reflects a wider problem in Indonesia, where lax construction standards and informal building practices are widespread.
Another parent, Dewi Sulistiana, has been waiting by the ruins since rushing from Surabaya after learning of the collapse. “I have been here for days. I cried thinking about my son. Why is it taking so long to find him, why is the search so slow?” she said.
Three people have been confirmed dead and scores more injured, but rescue teams say they continue to detect signs of life. “We believe our children might still be alive because they were crying for help,” said father Abdul Hanan, whose 14-year-old son is among the missing. “The rescue operation must be accelerated. We are racing against time now,” he added in tears.
Why rescue is difficult
Rescue operations are proving exceptionally complex. Officials told BBC that vibrations from heavy machinery could destabilise the debris and trigger landslides, endangering survivors. Teams have instead been forced to dig underground tunnels, some just 60 centimetres wide, to reach trapped victims . “If vibration happens in one spot, it could affect other places,” explained Mohammad Syafi’i, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency.
Specialist equipment, including thermal-sensing drones, is being deployed, but progress remains slow. Authorities also briefly halted operations when an offshore earthquake struck overnight, raising fears of further collapse. Officials say in some areas they have been able to provide trapped survivors with oxygen, food and water.
Investigations into the cause of the disaster point to structural failings. The building’s foundations were unable to bear the additional weight of two extra floors, and local authorities have confirmed that permits for expansion had not been obtained. Experts warn the collapse reflects a wider problem in Indonesia, where lax construction standards and informal building practices are widespread.
Another parent, Dewi Sulistiana, has been waiting by the ruins since rushing from Surabaya after learning of the collapse. “I have been here for days. I cried thinking about my son. Why is it taking so long to find him, why is the search so slow?” she said.
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