SIDOARJO: Searchers raced to rescue at least 38 people still believed trapped after the collapse of an Islamic school building in Indonesia that has already left three dead.
The building gave way on Indonesia’s main island Java where students were gathered for afternoon prayers, according to local reports citing a witness.
Families desperate for news of their loved ones and rescuers crowded around the multi-storey building in the town of Sidoarjo.
National Search and Rescue Agency head Mohammad Syafii said the number of victims is 102 people, consisting of 99 survivors and three deaths.
He added that rescuers were working urgently to save the lives of survivors who are thought to still be trapped under the rubble.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari confirmed rescuers were still searching for 38 people thought to be trapped under the rubble.
Atok Irawan, the head of a local hospital in Sidoarjo, told reporters that two people died of their injuries while being treated in the hospital’s emergency room.
Lax construction standards have raised widespread concerns about building safety in Indonesia.
Earlier this month, at least three people were killed and dozens injured after a building hosting a prayer recital collapsed in West Java. – AFP
