Disaster at Indonesian Boarding School: Death Toll Increases to 49 as Rescue Efforts for Lost Students Continues
Indonesian first responders found numerous further victims over the recent period, bringing the confirmed death toll to 49 after a religious building at an Islamic boarding school fell down last week.
Focused Rescue Operations In Progress
Utilizing heavy excavators equipped with jackhammers, cutting tools and sometimes their bare hands, rescue teams removed large quantities of rubble in a urgent attempt to find the 14 pupils reportedly still lost. Search teams discovered 35 bodies over the weekend alone, according to the national emergency authority.
Timeline of the Heartbreaking Collapse
The construction crashed down on top of numerous of scholars – primarily young men between the ages of 12 to 19 – on 29 September at the century-old boarding school in East Java. Of those extracted, 97 were cared for for various trauma and sent home. Six others sustained critical injuries and were still hospitalised on Sunday.
Origin of Structural Failure Identified
Police allege that two levels were being built to the original building in the absence of a permit, resulting in building collapse. This has provoked extensive outrage over unpermitted construction in the nation.
“The construction was unable to bear the weight while the cement was being poured [to build] the new story because it didn't meet construction codes and the whole 800-square-metres construction collapsed,” said a building specialist from an engineering university.
The professional also noted that pupils ought not to have been permitted inside a building under construction.
Administrative Reaction
The local district head confirmed the institution's administration had not sought the mandatory license before commencing the project.
“Many buildings, such as conventional boarding school expansions, in non-urban areas were constructed without a official authorization,” the official commented.
Judicial Implications
Indonesia's 2002 building construction code state that authorizations have to be issued by the relevant authorities before any construction, or else proprietors risk fines and incarceration. If a breach causes fatalities, this can result in up to 15 years in incarceration and a fine of up to 8bn local currency (nearly $500,000).
Apology from Facility Leadership
The school's caretaker, a well-known religious leader in East Java, offered a public apology in a rare public statement a day after the collapse.
“This is certainly a test from God so we must all be patient, and may God replace it with goodness, with something much better,” he said. “We must be confident that God will reward those impacted by this event with substantial rewards.”
Ongoing Probe
Criminal probes related to religious leaders continue to be sensitive in the largest Muslim-majority nation.
There has been no statement from school officials since the incident.
“We will probe this matter thoroughly,” East Java's police chief announced on Sunday.
“Our inquiry also demands expertise from a panel of construction experts to determine whether failure by the school led to the deaths.”