A magnitude 6.5 earthquake has packed debris even tighter as the 72-hour period for best survival chances nears its end.
Published On 1 Oct 2025
Rescuers have pulled five survivors from a collapsed school building in Indonesia amid efforts to save dozens of children believed to be trapped under the rubble two days later.
Part of the multistorey Al-Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, on the island of Java, gave way suddenly on Monday as students gathered for afternoon prayers.
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“Today we managed to evacuate seven victims, five of them were rescued alive, and two were found dead,” Yudhi Bramantyo, operational director of the search and rescue services, told a news briefing. “The five survivors were able to communicate.”
The retrieval of two bodies brings the total number of people killed in the disaster to five.
National Disaster and Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said 91 people were suspected to be buried under the rubble, according to school records.
Distraught family members were demanding that rescue efforts be accelerated.
“We believe our children might still be alive because they were crying for help,” Abdul Hanan, whose 14-year-old son is missing, told the AFP news service.
“We are racing against time now.”
Dewi Sulistiana was awaiting news of her 14-year-old son.
“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.”
Mohammad Syafii, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency, said rescuers have had to dig an underground tunnel to reach the spot where the victims are. Thermal-sensing drones are being used to locate survivors and the deceased as the 72-hour “golden period” for best survival chances nears its end.
Earthquake hampers rescue operations
Complicating operations, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday packed the debris tighter, narrowing the room for manoeuvre. The quake struck the region of Sumenep, about 200km (124 miles) from the school, injuring three people and damaging dozens of homes, authorities said.
“If the space was initially 50cm (20 inches) high, it caved in to 10cm (four inches), and we fear it impacts the constriction of the victims,” Syafii said.
Rescue official Emi Freezer, of the National Search and Rescue Agency, said signs of life were detected in seven areas. Water and food were being sent in, but access was through a single point.
“The main structure has totally collapsed,” he said.
Lax construction standards have raised widespread concerns about building safety in Indonesia, where it is common to leave structures partially completed, allowing owners to add extra floors later when their budgets permit.
Earlier this month, at least three people were killed and dozens were injured when a building hosting a prayer recital collapsed in West Java province.
