Five survivors pulled from Indonesia school collapse as parents await news

SIDOARJO, Indonesia - Rescuers pulled five survivors from the ruins of a collapsed school in Indonesia on Oct 1, as desperate parents demanded searchers speed up efforts to find dozens more still believed trapped in the rubble.

Part of the multi-storey boarding school in Sidoarjo, on Java Island, gave way suddenly on Sept 29 as students gathered for afternoon prayers.

“Today, we managed to evacuate seven victims. Five of them were rescued alive, and two were found dead,” Mr Yudhi Bramantyo, operational director of the search and rescue services, said on Oct 1. “The five survivors were able to communicate.”

The latest death toll brings the number of people killed in the disaster to five.

Based on school records, “91 people are suspected to be buried”, National Disaster and Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement late on Sept 30.

Tearful parents milled around the ruins on Oct 1, awaiting news of their children.

“We believe our children might still be alive because they were crying for help,” said Mr Abdul Hanan, whose 14-year-old son is missing.

“The rescue operation must be accelerated,” the 45-year-old told AFP. “We are racing against time now,” he added, bursting into tears.

Nearby, Ms Dewi Sulistiana was awaiting news of her 14-year-old son. They were last in touch on Sept 28. The boarding school limits student access to cellphones.

She rushed to the scene from Surabaya, several dozen kilometres away, after hearing about the collapse.

“I have been here for days. I cried thinking about my son,” she told AFP. “Why is it taking so long to find him, why is the search so slow? I haven’t had any updates, so I just wait.”

Tunnels and drones

The rescue operation is complex, said Mr Mohammad Syafi’i, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency.

“If vibration happens in one spot, it could affect other places. So now, to reach the spot where the victims are, we have to dig an underground tunnel,” he told reporters.

Digging itself poses challenges, including possible landslides. And any tunnel will only provide an access route around 60cm wide because of the structure’s concrete columns.

Technology, including thermal-sensing drones, is being used to locate survivors and the deceased as the 72-hour “golden period” for best survival chances nears its end.

AFP saw rescuers in orange uniforms appearing to snake cameras under the rubble to hunt for traces of survivors.

So far, signs of life have been detected in seven areas, said Mr Emi Freezer of the National Search and Rescue Agency. Water and food is being sent in, but access is through a single point, he said. “The main structure has totally collapsed.”

Complicating the operation, an earthquake struck offshore overnight, briefly halting the search.

Around the ruins, local charitable organisations have set up posts offering families food and drink.

The school collapse was so violent it sent tremors across the neighbourhood, said local resident Ani.

“I felt a vibration, and then I heard a noise. I immediately ran to save myself. I didn’t realise at first it was a building collapse,” the grocery stall owner told AFP.

“Many people then also ran to save themselves,” she added.

Investigations into the cause of the collapse are ongoing, but initial signs point to structural issues and construction that did not meet building standards, experts said.

The building collapsed after its foundation pillars failed to support the weight of new construction on the fourth floor of the school, according to Mr Muhari.

Lax construction standards have raised widespread concerns about building safety in Indonesia, where it is common to leave structures – particularly houses – partially completed, allowing owners to add extra floors later when their budgets permit.

Earlier in September, at least three people were killed and dozens injured when a building hosting a prayer recital collapsed in West Java province. AFP