NewKerala.com

Key Points

The death toll from the collapsed school building in Indonesia has now reached 14 students. Rescue teams have recovered more bodies but nearly 50 people remain missing as the search continues. The collapse happened during unauthorized renovations when the old building's foundation couldn't support additional concrete floors. Most of those trapped were male students aged 12-19 who were in the affected section of the Islamic boarding school.

Key Points: Indonesia School Collapse Death Toll Rises to 14 Students

  • Collapse occurred during unauthorized renovation adding floors without proper permits
  • Rescuers switched to heavy machinery after no life signs detected
  • Female students escaped as they were praying in different building section
  • Building foundation couldn't support additional concrete floors during construction
  • Mostly male students aged 12-19 trapped in the multi-storey boarding school
  • Hundreds of rescuers from multiple agencies continue search operations
2 min read

Death toll from Indonesia school building collapse rises to 14

Death toll climbs to 14 with 50 missing after Al Khoziny Islamic school building collapse during unauthorized renovation in East Java's Sidoarjo district.

"High-tech equipment such as thermal drones has been used, but no additional signs of life were found - Suharyanto, National Disaster Management Agency"

Jakarta, Oct 4

The death toll from the collapse of a school building in Indonesia's East Java province has risen to 14, a local rescue official said on Saturday.

By Friday evening, rescuers had recovered nine more bodies, bringing the number of fatalities to 14, according to Tholeb Vatelehan, a senior communication official of the East Java Search and Rescue Office.

Currently, nearly 50 people remain missing, and the death toll is expected to rise.

Rescuers deployed heavy machinery on Thursday after no further signs of life were detected. Earlier, they had relied mainly on manual excavation out of concern that heavy equipment could cause further collapse.

Part of the multi-storey Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo district caved in on Monday during unauthorised renovation, leaving dozens of students trapped, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on October 2, rescuers had detected no further signs of life under the rubble of a collapsed school building in Indonesia's East Java province, the country's disaster agency said.

"High-tech equipment such as thermal drones has been used, but no additional signs of life were found," Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, had told a press briefing at the site of Monday's collapse in Sidoarjo district.

Hundreds of rescuers from various agencies have been deployed to the site. The cause of the collapse is under investigation.

Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, had said three more bodies were retrieved by rescuers. He had said heavy machinery had been deployed in the ongoing excavation, with 55 people still unaccounted for.

A day later, rescue workers had relied mainly on manual excavation out of concern that heavy equipment could trigger further collapse.

The students were mostly boys in grades seven to 12, between the ages of 12 and 19. Female students were praying in another part of the building and managed to escape, survivors said.

Authorities had said that the school had two storeys, but more were being added without permits. Police had said the old building’s foundation apparently was unable to support two floors of concrete and collapsed during the pouring process.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
My heart goes out to the families. These were just children trying to get an education. The school administration should be held accountable for unauthorized construction. Safety should never be compromised.
D
David E
As someone who works in construction, this is exactly why building codes exist. Adding floors without proper structural analysis is a disaster waiting to happen. The rescuers are doing an incredible job in such difficult conditions.
A
Ananya R
So tragic 😢 These poor children and their families. I hope the investigation leads to proper accountability and stricter enforcement of building regulations across all countries, including ours.
M
Michael C
While the tragedy is devastating, I appreciate that the rescue teams initially used manual excavation to avoid further collapse. Shows they prioritized potential survivors over speed. Respect to all the rescue workers.
K
Karthik V
This hits close to home. We had a similar incident in our city last year where illegal construction led to casualties. Governments need to crack down on unauthorized building work more strictly.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50