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Indonesia School Collapse Leaves 91 Students Trapped as Rescuers Enter Third Day

Officials say an unpermitted vertical addition likely caused the prayer hall to give way.

Overview

  • Authorities confirmed at least three deaths and about 100 injuries, updating tallies after reviewing attendance lists and family reports.
  • The disaster agency raised the number presumed trapped to 91, with at least six children believed to be alive beneath the debris as supplies are passed through gaps.
  • Heavy equipment remains largely idle due to fear of further collapse while hundreds of responders continue painstaking extrication work.
  • The structure failed during afternoon prayers in Sidoarjo, East Java, with most of those affected being teenage boys as female students in another area escaped.
  • Police opened an investigation into the unpermitted expansion and suspected foundation failure as anxious families wait at a school command post and nearby hospitals.