Three dead, dozens trapped after the school collapse on students

The rescuers run to draw dozens of students and workers under the rubble of a school building which collapsed in eastern Java, in Indonesia.

Three people were killed and 99 others hospitalized, some of them suffering from critical injuries, officials announced on Tuesday, adding that the number of dead could increase.

At least 38 others, many of which remain trapped under the Islamic boarding school of Al Khoziny in the city of Sidoarjo de Java de l’Est. They gathered for prayers when the building sold on Monday.

The two -story building had an unstable base and could not bear the weight of the construction of two other floors, said the disaster mitigation agency.

The girls prayed in another part of the building and managed to escape, according to the Associated Press.

School students are between 12 and 17 years old.

Images on the local media show the collapsed part of the fully sunk building, with large concrete slabs that are exceeding.

The tears and cries can be heard from the rubble, the authorities said, while anxious parents camped at school during the night while waiting for the news of their relatives.

Dozens of rescuers searched the night of the survivors, but the rescue was temporarily suspended on Tuesday, the authorities claiming that the building was likely to collapse.

The collapsed building has taken “a pancake -type structure with layers of concrete slabs leaving only narrow gaps, unstable conditions and the possibility of survivors that are still trapped,” said Mohammad Syafeii, head of the Basarnas research and rescue agency.

His agency is preparing for a “specialized operation” and has deployed units in the region which will be equipped with “special extraction” tools, “he said.

Mr. Syafeii also presented the dilemma with the use of heavy equipment, such as cranes and excavators. Although they help lift concrete slabs and open access, “moving the slabs can also endanger the lives of survivors still trapped under the rubble,” he said.

Rosida, whose son Kaffa Ahmad Maulana is one of the missing people, said she has been waiting for news since Monday evening.

“I spoke to him for the last time the day before the incident, and nothing seemed unusual during this conversation,” said the 47 -year -old man. Another of his children, who was also affected by the collapse, is treated in a hospital.

Students who survived the incident told their heartbreaking escapes on local media.

The seventh level Muhammad Rijalul Qoib said that hundreds of people had gathered to pray when they heard the noise of falls.

“It has become stronger and louder,” said the 13 -year -old player in Detikjatim, adding that he had immediately run outside.

He was struck by the fall in roof debris, but managed to get out of the rubble.

Another student, Sofa, told Kompas that he had seen students with “a lot of injuries”. “There were also broken bones,” he said.

The KH Abdus Salam Mujib school goalkeeper apologized on Monday with the families of students, attributing the incident to “the will of God”. “I hope God will replace him with something better,” he said.

The regent of the city of Sidoarjo says that the school management had not obtained a permit for the expansion of the building.

Al Khoziny is a traditional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia known as the Pesantren.

Traditionally, weighing focuses on Islamic studies, such as the memorization of the Koran, learning Arabic and Islamic law, but many now offer general education.

Unlike ordinary schools, Pesantren falls under the authority of the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs, not the Ministry of Education.

However, surveillance is often limited. Many weighs operate informally, without strong regulations or coherent monitoring.

The Sector of the Construction of Indonesia has a bad security file, the international labor organization noting it among the worst in the world.

Earlier this month, at least four people were killed and dozens injured when a building where people had gathered for a prayer recital suddenly collapsed in western Java.