56 people remain unaccounted for as of Friday (3 Oct) morning after an Islamic boarding school in Indonesia collapsed earlier in the week.
As many as 140 students were reportedly praying inside the building on Monday (29 Sept) afternoon when the horrific disaster occurred.
Source: Suara Surabaya
Indonesia’s National Disaster and Mitigation Agency (BNPB) announced on Thursday (2 Oct) that no signs of life were detected in the ruins.
As many as 332 rescuers were reportedly deployed to the site of the collapsed hall in East Java, Indonesia.
Three days after the incident, an Indonesian official said rescuers detected “no more signs of life” under the rubble.
This came after BNPB deployed thermal drones and other equipment at the site, reported Channel NewsAsia.
Relatives of missing students reportedly collapsed to the ground and bawled upon hearing the news.
As of Friday (3 Oct), rescuers have evacuated 104 survivors. Meanwhile, seven people have been confirmed dead, while 56 remain unaccounted for under the rubble.
Source: Radar Sidoarjo
The town’s regent revealed that the Islamic boarding school management did not obtain the necessary permits to add more floors to the building.
A civil engineering expert told Detik Jatim that the building, originally planned as a single-storey structure, had been expanded to three floors to accommodate more students.
The expert explained that this increased the load on the building, which eventually caused the structure to give way.
Even as construction works were ongoing, the school reportedly used the first floor of the building for activities.
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Featured image adapted from Fakta Nasional and Kongkrit.