While five students have been found alive after a boarding school in Indonesia collapsed, 59 other students remain missing. According to CNN, the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo crumbled into rubble on Monday, September 29.
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Boarding School Collapses, Leaving 59 Students Missing And 5 Alive
Now, three days later, a rescue team managed to extract 13-year-old Syailendra Haikal from concrete slabs. He is among seven teenage boys who were pulled from a pocket on Wednesday. Two of them were dead, while the other remained alive.
This horrific tragedy has left five people confirmed deceased, while dozens of others are missing under the rubble. Hundreds have gathered around the site, many of them families of the missing students.
“I still believe my son can be found alive,” said Kulsum, one of the many distressed parents. “I just ask the rescuers to keep searching until they find him. He’s my only child.”
Kulsum’s child is among the many names listed on a notice board with the names of missing kids. The boys’ ages range from 12 to 18 years old, many of them from lower-income families.
Rescuers Unable To Find Further Signs Of Life
On late Wednesday, Yudhi Bramantyo, the director of operations at Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency, told the outlet that rescuers haven’t detected any more signs of life.
“All victims who were able to communicate with the rescue team have already been evacuated today from two different search sectors,” said Bramantyo.
On Thursday, officials agreed with families to start using heavy machinery to remove the debris. They initially didn’t use them, fearing that it could cause the building to collapse even more. Now that they are relatively certain there are no more survivors, they have decided to use the machines.
Search and rescue efforts were even more difficult after an earthquake struck Sumenep on Tuesday. This region is around 124 miles away from the boarding school. Officials were concerned about how the tremors might affect the debris.
Although CNN initially thought 91 people were buried, they shaved the number down to 59 by Wednesday. Despite this number, officials aren’t sure how exact this number is. They are basing the number on school attendance lists and missing persons reports.