At least one student was killed and dozens more were injured or feared trapped after a four-storey prayer hall collapsed at an Islamic boarding school in Indonesia’s East Java province on Monday.
The incident occurred at Al Khoziny Islamic school in Sidoarjo during afternoon prayers, when more than 100 students were inside the under-construction hall.
Rescue workers, police and soldiers continued overnight efforts to search for survivors, using heavy equipment while also digging through concrete debris by hand. Officials said 79 students had been injured, some critically, and were taken to nearby hospitals with broken bones and head injuries. Survivors reported that most of the victims were male students, as females were praying separately in another section of the school.
Authorities said the hall had originally been a two-storey building but was expanded with two additional floors without a permit. By late Monday, rescuers had managed to free several more survivors and were attempting to reach three children still alive but trapped under the rubble. Teams were supplying oxygen and water to those trapped, though officials warned that the operation was proceeding cautiously due to the risk of further collapse.
