Sidoarjo,indonesia – Rescue efforts continue โขas at least 91โ students remain trapped under the concrete rubble of a collapsed Islamic school building almost two daysโข after the disaster struck,authorities โคconfirmed โคWednesday. The number of those presumed buried has been revised upwards from 38, following a review of attendance records and reportsโข from families of the missing.
The collapse occurred โMonday afternoon at the al Khoziny โIslamic boarding school in East java province, a century-oldโข institution where hundreds of mostly teenage boysโค were performing prayersโ in a prayer hall undergoing an unauthorized expansion. This incident underscores the dangers of unregulated construction and โฃtheโฃ vulnerabilityโ ofโ students in aging infrastructure,raising questions about building safety standards and oversight inโฃ Indonesia.
More than 300 rescue workers areโ working to free survivors, wiht at least three students confirmed dead and โค100 others injured, many suffering from head injuries and broken bones. Authorities have reported that at least six children are alive beneath the debris, but the precariousโ nature of the rubble – unstable slabsโ of concrete and heavy building components – is โhindering the use of heavy equipment, increasing the risk of further collapse.โข
Rescuers are delivering โoxygen,โ water, โand food โฃthrough narrow gaps โto those trapped, some of whom are โฃpinned in place. The students affected are primarily boys in grades sevenโ to twelve, aged between 12 and 18. Female students were praying in a separate building and escaped unharmed.
Accordingโข to authorities, the prayer hall, โขoriginally two stories, was being expanded to four stories without โฃthe necessary permits. Police investigations suggest theโค buildingS โfoundation was unable to support the additional concrete weight, leading to the collapse duringโ the pouring process.