School collapse in Indonesia traps dozens of students

Shafaq News – Jakarta

Rescuers in Indonesia’s East Java province worked through the night to free students trapped under the rubble of a collapsed boarding school, more than 12 hours after the structure gave way during afternoon prayers.

The collapse at Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in the town of Sidoarjo killed a 13-year-old boy, injured 99 students—some critically—and left 65 others unaccounted for, according to officials. Most of the missing are boys aged 12 to 17.

Hundreds of rescue workers, police, and soldiers dug through unstable concrete debris without heavy machinery, fearing further collapse. Oxygen, medical gear, and evacuation tools were deployed as families gathered nearby and at hospitals awaiting news of their children.

Provincial police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast said the students had been praying in a hall that was undergoing an unauthorized expansion. Originally two stories, the building had two additional floors added without a permit.

“The old building’s foundation was apparently unable to support two floors of concrete and collapsed during the pouring process,” Abast said. Female students, who were in another part of the complex, managed to escape unharmed.

Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the incident.