Indonesia School Collapse: Search Continues for 91 Missing, Death Toll Rises to Three
CIANJUR, INDONESIA – rescuers in West Java province are working against time to locate 91 people still missing after a school building collapsed Monday, raising the confirmed death toll to three.The collapse occurred in Cianjur regency, and search efforts are hampered by fears of further structural failure.
The building’s foundation pillars reportedly failed under the weight of new construction on a fourth floor, according to Abdul Muhari, a spokesperson for the Indonesian disaster mitigation agency (BNBP). “The rescuers are still searching for 91 people,” Muhari stated, adding that 26 injured individuals remain hospitalized.Authorities have deployed excavators and a crane, but are limiting the use of heavy equipment to avoid exacerbating the instability of the remaining structure.
The harrowing scene unfolded as families desperately searched a whiteboard listing known survivors for the names of their children. One rescuer recounted a especially poignant moment: “I ran around screaming, ‘Rosi! Rosi! If you can hear me and can move, get out!’ And then a child was screaming back from the rubble, he was stuck. I thought that was Rosi, so I asked, ‘Are you Rosi?’ and the child said, ‘God, no, help me!'”
The collapse has reignited concerns about lax construction standards in Indonesia, where it is indeed common for buildings to be completed incrementally as funds become available. This practice often leads to unauthorized additions and compromises structural integrity. muhari urged stricter oversight of construction processes and called for greater public vigilance.
This incident is the latest in a series of building collapses across Indonesia. Earlier this month,at least three people died and dozens were injured in a similar incident in West Java. In 2018, seven teenagers were killed when a building collapsed during a rehearsal in Cirebon, and 75 people were injured when a mezzanine floor gave way at the Jakarta stock exchange.
