INDONESIAN RESCUERS INTENSIFY SEARCH FOR 38 STUDENTS FEARED TRAPPED IN PESANTREN BUILDING COLLAPSE

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- Indonesian rescuers on Tuesday scrambled to find dozens of students feared trapped after a four-storey traditional Islamic boarding school collapsed in East Java, killing at least one and injuring more than 70, officials said.

Spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Abdul Muhari, said 38 people were still unaccounted for after the Pondok Pesantren Al Khoziny in Sidoarjo regency – renowned for producing Islamic scholars since 1927 – crumbled on Monday afternoon during Asar prayers, burying students and workers under concrete and steel.

By Tuesday morning, 102 people had been evacuated, 91 managed to escape on their own, 11 were rescued from the rubble by joint search and rescue teams, and one was found dead.

At least 77 injured were taken to hospitals, with 34 treated at Sidoarjo General Hospital, 38 at Siti Hajar Hospital, and four at Delta Surya Hospital, he said in a statement.

Rescuers from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), regional disaster units, police, military and volunteer groups were deployed to the site, using heavy equipment to clear debris.

According to Abdul Muhari, the collapse occurred while workers were casting concrete on the top floor.

“During the Asar prayer at around 3 pm local time, it is suspected the foundation columns could not withstand the load, causing the structure to collapse to the ground floor,” he added.

The head of the pesantren, KH Abdus Salam Mujib, said the collapsed building had only been under construction for about nine months, carried out in stages and not yet fully completed, with the third floor only recently cast to serve as a hall for student activities.

Earlier this month, a two-storey Madrasah Assoibiyah building in Bogor, West Java, which was also still under construction, collapsed during an event, killing four people and injuring 84.

-- BERNAMA