Rescue teams in Indonesia are urgently searching for dozens of students trapped for two days under the rubble of a collapsed Islamic boarding school. The incident occurred at the century-old Al Khoziny boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, while students were performing afternoon prayers. Authorities located six children alive in a section of mangled concrete and are providing them with food, water, and oxygen, but at least 91 people remain missing, feared buried under the debris, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Authority (BPBD). So far, three deaths have been confirmed and around 100 people injured.
Officials have emphasized that time is critical in reaching survivors as the massive rescue operation entered its third day. Laksita Rini, head of the Surabaya Fire and Rescue Department, said that identifying specific locations could improve chances of survival. Rescuers have been creating tunnel-like passages to reach the trapped children, who have been able to communicate with the teams.
Family members have gathered at the school, anxiously checking a posted list of missing students. Most of the victims are boys aged 12 to 18. Among them is 13-year-old Rosi, whose uncle, Holy Abdullah Arif, described desperately calling for him amid the chaos. “I don’t know how he’s doing, whether he can be saved, whether he’s dead or alive,” he said.
Around 300 rescue workers are involved in the operation, which has been slowed by the unstable structure. Authorities are avoiding heavy machinery to prevent further collapses and are focusing on manual excavation. Video from the scene shows teams carefully chipping away at concrete slabs and exposed rebar to reach trapped victims. Lead coordinator Nanang Sigit confirmed that rescuers are delivering oxygen to survivors while continuing to locate bodies under the rubble.
Special units from the national search and rescue agency Basarnas, equipped with breathing apparatus, medical evacuation gear, and extraction tools, joined the effort Tuesday. Surabaya fire teams are also using advanced equipment, including cameras that can detect victims and heart rate monitors to locate survivors. So far, more than 80 people escaped immediately after the collapse, with an additional 11 rescued by teams. Three rescued Tuesday later died in hospital, raising the death toll to three.
An investigation is underway into the cause of the collapse. Authorities reported that construction work was being carried out on the fourth-floor prayer hall at the time, adding weight that the foundations could not support. The project was reportedly conducted without a permit. Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar described the tragedy as a warning, noting that many Islamic schools are built through community efforts without proper technical oversight, posing serious safety risks.
As the rescue continues, hope remains for the trapped students, but the situation is precarious, and authorities are racing against time to save as many lives as possible.
