Indonesia’s disaster management agency reported on the 1st that the collapse of a boarding school building in Sidoarjo County, East Java Province, on September 29th has resulted in 3 deaths and at least 91 people buried. Rescue operations are ongoing.
According to the spokesman of Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Abdul, as of the night of September 30th, more than 90 people have been injured in the incident, 26 of whom are still hospitalized.
He stated: “According to the student registration data, it is suspected that 91 people are buried under the rubble.”
Earlier on September 30th, authorities said that 38 people were trapped.
Rescue workers at the scene said that signs of life have been detected in some of the debris. Fearing secondary collapses, the main search and rescue is currently being carried out manually, and food and drinking water are being delivered to those trapped.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency is coordinating with building experts to develop a safe clearing plan so that heavy equipment can be used for follow-up work if necessary.
The collapsed building originally had 2 floors but was planned to be expanded to 4 floors. However, the expansion was carried out without approval from the authorities.