Tragedy in Indonesia: Over 60 Students Trapped After Islamic School Building Collapse in Sidoarjo

In Sidoarjo, Indonesia, a desperate rescue operation continues as emergency personnel provide oxygen and water to students trapped beneath the collapsed building of Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School. More than 12 hours after the devastating collapse, rescuers are working frantically to free survivors from the unstable concrete debris. Tragically, one student has been confirmed dead, dozens injured, and approximately 65 others are believed to be buried in the rubble.

Throughout the night, rescue workers alongside police and military personnel excavated through the debris, successfully extracting eight injured survivors more than eight hours after the collapse in the East Java town. Rescuers have observed additional bodies within the wreckage, suggesting the death toll will likely increase.

Distressed families have gathered at hospitals and near the collapse site, desperately awaiting news about their children. Emotional scenes unfolded as relatives watched rescuers extract dust-covered injured students from the buried prayer hall.

As of Tuesday morning, a notice board at the emergency command post listed 65 missing students, primarily boys between 12 and 17 years old from grades seven through eleven. The atmosphere was charged with emotion as parents identified their children's names among the missing.

"Oh my God... my son is still buried, oh my God please help!" exclaimed one mother upon seeing her child's name on the list, triggering similar cries from other affected parents.

Another father, clutching a rescue worker's hand, pleaded, "Please, sir, please find my child immediately."

According to Nanang Sigit, the search and rescue team leader, heavy concrete slabs and unstable building sections are impeding rescue efforts. While heavy machinery is available, its use has been avoided due to concerns about triggering further collapse.

"We have been running oxygen and water to those still trapped under the debris and keeping them alive while we work hard to get them out," Sigit explained. He noted that while rescuers have observed several bodies beneath the rubble, their priority remains rescuing survivors.

Several hundred emergency responders equipped with breathing apparatus, extrication tools, medical evacuation resources, and other emergency equipment have joined the operation.

The incident occurred while students were performing afternoon prayers in a building undergoing unauthorized expansion work when it suddenly collapsed. Provincial police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast reported that residents, teachers, and administrators assisted injured students suffering from head injuries and broken bones. Female students, who were praying in a separate section of the building, managed to escape.

Officials confirmed that one 13-year-old boy died, while 99 other students were hospitalized with injuries, some in critical condition.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the collapse's cause. According to Abast, the original two-story prayer hall was being expanded with two additional unauthorized floors. "The old building's foundation was apparently unable to support two floors of concrete and collapsed during the pouring process," he explained.