World
Three dead and dozens feared still trapped after school building collapses
Dozens of students are feared to be still buried under the rubble of a collapsed school building in Indonesia.
Rescuers are running oxygen to those under the debris and working desperately to free any survivors trapped in the unstable concrete leftovers of the school in East Java, more than 12 hours after the structure fell.
A 13-year-old boy is among three confirmed to have died when the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School suddenly collapsed on Monday.
Relatives wait to hear news of their loved ones. Pic: Reuters.
Search and rescue officers at the scene. Pic: Reuters
Dozens more injuries have been reported. The number of dead is expected to rise, as many of those injured are in a critical condition.
Hundreds of rescue workers, police and soldiers digging through the night, pulled out eight weak and injured survivors.
About 38 are thought to still be under the rubble – mostly boys aged between 12 and 17.
Police said the building was undergoing an unauthorised expansion when it collapsed. Pic: AP
At least 99 youngsters are injured. Pic: AP
Rescue efforts had to be temporarily suspended on Tuesday as the collapsed concrete shook suddenly, indicating another collapse could be imminent.
People ran for their lives, some screaming, as rescuers urged everyone in the area to avoid the building, including more than a dozen ambulances parked near the scene.
Dozens are feared still trapped under the rubble. Pic: AP
A notice board at the command post set up in the boarding school complex listed all the missing students.
A mother, seeing her child’s name listed, cried hysterically: “Oh my God… my son is still buried, oh my God please help!”
“Please, sir, please find my child immediately,” cried a father, holding the hand of one of the rescue team members.
Chief search and rescue officer, Nanang Sigit, said: “We have been running oxygen and water to those still trapped under the debris and keeping them alive while we work hard to get them out.”
Read more from Sky News:
US military chiefs assemble for summit
Starmer to make major NHS announcement
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast said students had been taking part in afternoon prayers in the building.
It was undergoing an unauthorised expansion when it collapsed, he added.
“The old building’s foundation was apparently unable to support two floors of concrete and collapsed during the pouring process,” he said.
Female students were praying in another part of the building and managed to escape, survivors said.