Indonesian rescuers search for missing students after school collapse kills 40

Sidoarjo: Indonesian rescuers searching for missing students after a prayer hall at an Islamic boarding school collapsed on Tuesday recovered more than two dozens bodies over the weekend search, bringing the confirmed death toll to 40.

Using jackhammers, circular saws and sometimes their bare hands, rescue teams diligently removed rubble in an attempt to find the 23 students reportedly still missing. Rescuers found 26 bodies over the weekend alone, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

The structure fell on top of hundreds of students, mostly boys between the ages of 12 and 19, on September 30 at the century-old Al Khoziny school in Sidoarjo on the eastern side of Indonesia’s Java island.

Only one student escaped unscathed, authorities said, while 95 were treated for various injuries and released. Eight others suffered serious injuries and remained hospitalised Sunday.

Police said two levels were being added to the two-story building without a permit, leading to structural failure. This has triggered widespread anger over illegal construction in Indonesia.

“The construction couldn’t support the load while the concrete was pouring (to build) the third floor because it didn’t meet standards and the whole 800 square metres construction collapsed,” said Mudji Irmawan, a construction expert from Tenth November Institute of Technology.

Irmawan also said students shouldn’t have been allowed inside a building under construction.agencies