Rescue Efforts Continue for 91 Students Trapped in Indonesian Islamic School Collapse

Rescuers have been delivering oxygen, water, and food through narrow gaps to students trapped beneath the debris of a collapsed Islamic school building in Indonesia.

Nearly two days after the tragic collapse, authorities have confirmed that 91 students remain trapped under concrete rubble. This assessment came after officials reviewed attendance records and reports from concerned families of missing students.

On Wednesday morning, more than 300 rescue personnel worked frantically to free survivors from the structure that collapsed during afternoon prayers on Monday. The incident occurred at the century-old al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in East Java province, where an unauthorized expansion was underway.

The collapse has claimed at least three students' lives, with 100 others suffering injuries including head trauma and broken bones.

The National Disaster Management Agency updated their estimate Tuesday night, raising the number of people presumed buried from 38 to 91.

Officials confirmed that at least six children are alive beneath the rubble, though rescue efforts have been complicated by heavy concrete slabs and unstable building sections. Despite having heavy machinery available, rescuers have avoided using it due to concerns it could trigger further collapse.

Emergency teams have been maintaining lifelines to the trapped students, providing essential supplies through narrow openings to sustain those pinned under the debris.

Most victims were male students between 12 and 18 years old, from grades seven through twelve. Female students, who had been praying in a different section of the building, managed to escape unharmed according to survivors' accounts.

The prayer hall was originally a two-story structure, but two additional floors were being constructed without proper permits. Police indicated that the building's aging foundation was apparently unable to support the additional weight of concrete floors, leading to the collapse during construction.