On Monday afternoon, the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, collapsed under structural failures as students began prayers. At least 91 students are now missing and feared trapped under debris. The crash occurred some 670 kilometers (420 miles) east of Jakarta. It’s an enormous search and rescue effort that continues as teams race against time to search for the young boys, between the ages of 12 to 18, who could still be alive beneath mounds of rubble.
At the time of the building’s collapse, concrete was being poured on the fourth floor of the prayer hall. Eyewitness accounts stated that the pier’s foundations were unable to bear the extra weight, which resulted in the bridge’s horrific collapse. Early reports indicate that at least three people have been killed, and at least 100 more injured in the tragedy.
Nearly 1,300 rescue workers have been mobilized to scour for anyone still buried. While rescuers have identified at least nine bodies beneath the debris, these teams are doing everything they can to extricate any living victims first. Searchers were able to find six people still alive in an air pocket of twisted cement. Their revelation provided a sliver of sunshine through the rubble.
While search and rescue efforts are still in progress, authorities are providing food, water and oxygen to the group stranded. Holy Abdullah Arif, a witness to the collapse, recounted the chaotic moments that followed:
“I ran around screaming, ‘Rosi! Rosi! If you can hear me and can move, get out!’” – Holy Abdullah Arif
Arif recounted the anguish of hearing a child’s voice calling for help from under the rubble.
“And then a child was screaming back from the rubble, he was stuck. I thought that was Rosi, so I asked, ‘Are you Rosi?’ and the child said, ‘God, no, help me!’” – Holy Abdullah Arif
The challenges of rescue efforts are tremendous as rescuers walk with great caution around the unstable mounds of concrete and debris. Families and communities are living under tremendous urgency as reuniting with their loved ones is increasingly uncertain. The work couldn’t be more important, creating a palpable urgency that fuels them all.
“I don’t know how he’s doing, whether he can be saved, whether he’s dead or alive,” – Holy Abdullah Arif
Authorities are still working with neighboring agencies and local volunteer organizations to improve search and rescue efforts. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Rescue teams are racing against the clock to reach any possible survivors under the debris of the downed school.
