“ No signs of life ” for dozens missing in the collapse of the school, let’s say the rescuers

There is “no sign of life” under the wreck of an collapsed Indonesian school where 59 people are still missing, the rescuers said.

Hundreds of students, most adolescents, were within the two -story Islamic boarding school in the city of Sidoarjo when he collapsed on Monday. At least five students were killed and around 100 injured, officials said.

Thirteen people have been released from debris since the start of rescue efforts, although two later died in the hospital. The rescue operations had been difficult due to the unstable structure of the building.

On Thursday, the disasters attenuation agency (BNBP) said that rescuers using thermal drones had not detected signs of rubble.

“Last night, we even (eliminated) the area to ensure silence. (We) hoped that with the use of sophisticated equipment … We could hear certain signs of life,” said Lieutenant-General Suharanto, BNBP chief on Thursday afternoon at a press conference.

“Scientifically, no sign of life was found.”

He added that the team had decided to go to the “next phase” operations – using heavy equipment to move concrete tiles. These debris blocks will either be raised using cranes or cut into small pieces.

Rescuers had not been able to do it earlier because there were fears that it could lead the building to collapse more, risking the life of the possible survivors.

The authorities had declared Wednesday that crying and cries could still be heard under the rubble, while anxious relatives camped in school while waiting for the news of their relatives.

The BNBP announced on Wednesday that 59 people were still trapped in the rubble – although this figure has greatly fluctuated in recent days, Suharanto saying earlier that the data would always be “conflicting” in the “first stadiums” of a disaster.

The building was under construction when it collapsed, with two additional floors added. The BNBP later said that the unstable building foundation meant that it could not bear this weight.

Sidoarjo Town regent says that school management had not obtained a license to add more floors to the building.