Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Rescuers Search for Trapped Students After School Collapse


(MENAFN) Emergency teams in Indonesia’s East Java region are intensifying efforts to save dozens of students still trapped beneath the wreckage of a collapsed school facility.

Employing thermal imaging drones and other advanced equipment, rescuers have been working since Monday, though local officials reported Thursday there have been "no signs of life."

The two-floor building was filled with several hundred students—mainly teenage boys—when it crumbled, leaving at least five dead and close to 100 injured.

The tragic incident has left families devastated, with many anxiously staying overnight near the site, waiting for updates.

So far, around 13 individuals have been extracted from the ruins since the rescue efforts began, but sadly, two of them later succumbed to their injuries in the hospital.

Distraught family members have remained near the scene, holding onto hope as officials said on Wednesday that faint cries and voices could still be heard from under the debris.

According to the National Disaster Management Agency, five fatalities have been officially confirmed.

The complex task of retrieving approximately 59 students still believed to be buried beneath the remains of the prayer hall at Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo is ongoing, as reported by a broadcaster.

The disaster agency further confirmed that as of Wednesday evening, 59 individuals are still unaccounted for and presumed trapped beneath the rubble.

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