SIDOARJO: The number of casualties from the collapse of a boarding school in Indonesia’s East Java province has risen to 54, officials confirmed on Monday, as rescue teams continue to search for more than a dozen people still missing beneath the debris.
The multi-storey building on Java island suddenly gave way last week while students were gathered for afternoon prayers at the Al-Khoziny boarding school in Sidoarjo.
“We have retrieved 54 dead victims, including five body parts,” said Yudhi Bramantyo, operations director at the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), during a press briefing. He added that rescue teams have been working tirelessly to complete recovery efforts and return the bodies to their families as soon as possible.
According to Budi Irawan, deputy head of the national disaster agency (BNPB), the collapse marks Indonesia’s deadliest disaster so far this year. Authorities reported that at least 13 people remain missing.
Investigators are still determining the cause of the tragedy, but early findings suggest that poor construction practices may have played a role. Families of the missing victims consented to the use of heavy machinery after the 72-hour “golden period” for survival had elapsed.
Concerns over weak construction standards have once again come to the forefront in Indonesia, where building safety regulations are often poorly enforced. Just last month, three people were killed and dozens injured when a building hosting a prayer gathering collapsed in West Java.
