65 students feared trapped after boarding school collapse in Indonesia

(Web Desk): In Sidoarjo, a city in East Java, Indonesia, rescue workers are delivering oxygen and water to students trapped beneath unstable concrete debris after the collapse of the Al-Khozaini Islamic Boarding School building. The goal is to keep any survivors alive more than two and a half hours after the structure fell.

According to a TRT World report, at least one student has died and dozens were injured, while an estimated 65 students may still be trapped under the rubble.

Following overnight excavation, rescue workers, police, and military personnel managed to pull out eight weak and injured students alive from the collapsed building, nearly eight hours after the incident occurred.

Rescue teams have seen additional bodies beneath the rubble, raising fears that the death toll could rise.

Families of the trapped students gathered near hospitals and the collapsed building, anxiously awaiting updates. Emotional scenes were reported as relatives screamed and cried when a dust-covered, injured student was pulled out from the debris.

At a command post set up in the school compound, a notice board listed 65 people as missing by Tuesday morning.

Most of the students were boys aged 12 to 17, enrolled in grades 7 through 11.

Search and rescue officer Nanang Sigit stated that heavy debris and unstable parts of the building are hindering relief efforts. Heavy machinery is available at the site, but is not being used due to the risk of further collapse.

“We have provided oxygen and water to those trapped under the rubble so they can survive while we continue rescue operations,” Sigit said. He added that although bodies have been seen, the priority remains saving lives.

Hundreds of volunteers are participating in the rescue effort, equipped with breathing gear, extraction tools, medical aid, and other essential equipment. The collapse occurred as students were performing their afternoon prayers.

Jules Abraham Abast, spokesperson for the provincial police, stated that the incident happened during unauthorized construction to expand the building.

Local residents, teachers, and administrators helped rescue injured students, many of whom suffered head injuries and broken bones.

Eyewitnesses said that female students, who were praying in a different part of the building, managed to escape safely.

Authorities confirmed that one student died, and 99 others were injured and taken to hospitals—some in critical condition.

An official investigation into the collapse has begun. Abast explained that two additional floors were being illegally added to a two-story building, and the foundation of the old structure was not capable of supporting the additional concrete weight. The building collapsed during the concrete-pouring process.