Indonesia School Collapse: 59 Still Missing – Latest Update
- A building at the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school (pesantren) in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, collapsed on Monday, february 5, 2024.The collapse occurred while construction was underway on...
- Sidoarjo is located approximately 780 kilometers (485 miles) east of Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.
- Rescuers immediatly launched efforts to locate and extricate those trapped.
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indonesia School Building Collapse: Rescue Efforts Conclude, Dozens Feared Lost
Table of Contents
Collapse and Initial Response
A building at the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school (pesantren) in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, collapsed on Monday, february 5, 2024.The collapse occurred while construction was underway on upper floors, and the foundations were unable to bear the additional weight, according to Channel News Asia. Dozens of students were trapped under the rubble while praying.
Sidoarjo is located approximately 780 kilometers (485 miles) east of Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.
Rescue Efforts and Survivor Count
Rescuers immediatly launched efforts to locate and extricate those trapped. Five survivors were pulled from the debris by Wednesday, February 7, 2024, as reported by Channel News Asia.
As of Thursday, February 8, 2024, Abdul muhari, spokesperson for the Indonesian disaster mitigation agency (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana – BNPB), stated that 59 people remained unaccounted for, based on school attendance records and missing person reports filed by families. Reuters reported this figure.
Search Called Off, Hope Diminishes
Search and rescue operations were scaled back on Thursday, February 8, 2024, after rescuers found no signs of life. Emi Freezer, a search and rescue agency official, told Reuters that teams called out the names of the missing students and used motion detectors and scanners without detecting any movement or vital signs.
Rescuers,wearing the agency’s signature orange uniforms,navigated narrow tunnels within the rubble in an attempt to reach potential survivors. A crane was deployed to remove lighter debris, according to images distributed by the disaster mitigation agency.
Background: Pesantren in Indonesia
Al khoziny is a pesantren, a traditional Islamic boarding school common throughout Indonesia. According to data from the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs, there are approximately 42,000 pesantren in Indonesia, serving around 7 million students. Indonesia is the world’s largest muslim-majority nation.
Families Await News
Ahmad Ikhsan, 52, waited with other anxious parents near a whiteboard listing survivors, hoping for news of his 14-year-old son, Arif Affandi. “Until now, I haven’t heard about my son,” he told Channel News Asia. “I beleive my son is still alive.”