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Java School Prayer Hall Collapses, Leaving 1 Dead, Dozens Injured and 65 Feared Trapped

Authorities blame unauthorized vertical expansion that overwhelmed the foundation, with rescuers cautiously tunneling to reach survivors.

Overview

  • Rescue teams worked through the night more than 12 hours after the collapse, supplying oxygen and water to students trapped in unstable concrete.
  • Officials reported one fatality, a 13-year-old boy, with 99 students hospitalized and a command post listing 65 as missing or presumed buried.
  • Search leaders avoided heavy machinery due to the risk of further collapse, relying on hand tools as several hundred personnel combed the debris.
  • Police said a two-story prayer hall was being expanded by two additional floors without permits when the structure failed during concrete pouring.
  • Most of the missing are boys aged 12 to 17, while female students praying elsewhere largely escaped, and investigators have opened a formal probe.