Dozens Missing as Rescuers Race Against Time at Collapsed Indonesian School

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A desperate race against time was underway in the Indonesian town of Sidoarjo on Tuesday as searchers frantically worked to rescue at least 38 people still believed to be trapped in the rubble of a collapsed Islamic school building, a tragedy that has already claimed the lives of three individuals, authorities confirmed.

The multi-storey structure on Indonesia's main island of Java suddenly gave way on Monday while students were gathered for afternoon prayers, according to local reports citing a witness. The incident has plunged the community into a state of shock and grief, with anxious families crowding the disaster site, desperate for any news of their missing loved ones, while rescue teams navigate the precarious wreckage.

The scale of the disaster was outlined by National Search and Rescue Agency head Mohammad Syafii, who provided a grim tally of the casualties. "The number of victims is 102 people, consisting of 99 survivors, 3 deaths," Syafii stated, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

He stressed the critical nature of the ongoing operation, adding that rescuers were working with extreme urgency to save the lives of survivors who are thought to still be trapped beneath the debris. The focus of the massive search and rescue effort remains on locating and extricating the dozens who remain unaccounted for in the aftermath of the collapse.

Confirming the number of missing, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Abdul Muhari said that rescuers were still actively searching for 38 people who were thought to be trapped when the building fell.

The scene at the collapsed school was one of organized chaos and profound anguish, as heavy machinery moved concrete slabs and rescue workers carefully picked through the debris, their efforts punctuated by the hopes and fears of the families waiting nearby. The initial collapse on Monday afternoon created a scene of devastation, and the hours since have been a painful vigil for many.

Further details on the fatalities were provided by a local health official. Atok Irawan, the head of a local hospital in Sidoarjo, told reporters that two of the victims died from their injuries on Tuesday while receiving treatment in the hospital's emergency room. This information indicates the severity of the injuries sustained by those who were initially pulled from the rubble.

The first fatality was reported shortly after the building gave way. The survivors have been transported to various medical facilities to be treated for a range of injuries, while authorities work to manage the crisis and provide support to the affected families.

This tragic incident has once again cast a harsh spotlight on the issue of construction safety in Indonesia. According to the AFP report, lax construction standards have raised widespread and persistent concerns about the structural integrity of buildings across the sprawling archipelago. This is not the first time such a disaster has struck the nation.

The report noted that a similar incident occurred earlier this month, when at least three people were killed and dozens were injured after a building that was hosting a prayer recital collapsed in West Java.

These repeated tragedies underscore the urgent need for stricter enforcement of building codes and safety regulations to prevent future loss of life in a country that is frequently beset by natural and man-made disasters. As the rescue operation in Sidoarjo continues into the night, the hopes of a community hang on the tireless efforts of the search teams, who are battling against the odds to bring the 38 missing individuals back to their families.