Jakarta, Oct 2, (dpa/GNA) – Dozens of people remain trapped after a multi-story school building collapsed in Indonesia, with rescuers continuing to search for survivors on Tuesday, more than 12 hours after the collapse.
At least one student was confirmed dead and about 80 others were injured and taken to hospital, according to the country’s disaster management agency.
Rescue teams are still searching for 38 people, including students and construction workers.
Broadcaster Kompas TV reported, citing the search teams, that seven of those trapped had been located alive by midday local time.
The Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in the East Java town of Sidoarjo collapsed on Monday afternoon, while workers were pouring a concrete ceiling, according to local media reports.
CNN Indonesia cited the school’s caretaker, saying a supporting structure may have failed under the weight of fresh concrete, triggering the accident.
Local media outlet Kilat reported that the building had only been completed a few months ago, and was in the final stages of concrete work but was already being used for classes.
At the time of the collapse, around 100 students were on the second floor for afternoon prayers. Witnesses described seeing the building “shake” and heard creaking noises before it fell within seconds, according to local media reports.
Hundreds of disaster management personnel, firefighters and volunteers are combing through the rubble with heavy equipment. CNN Indonesia described the scene as a “flood of cement, beams and scaffolding.”
Among the injured are teenagers with broken bones, head injuries and cuts, CNN Indonesia said. One victim reportedly required an arm amputation.
GNA