SIDOARJO, INDONESIA, SEPT 30 (AFP/APP/DNA):Searchers raced Tuesday to rescue at least 38 people still believed trapped a day after the collapse of an Islamic school building in Indonesia that has already left three dead, authorities said.
Tearful families desperate for news of their loved ones crowded around the flattened multi-storey building, as rescuers navigated a maze of concrete rubble in the town of Sidoarjo on Indonesia’s main Island Java.
The building gave way on Monday, where students were gathered for afternoon prayers, said local reports, citing a witness.
“The number of victims is 102 people, consisting of 99 survivors, 3 deaths,” National Search and Rescue
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Abdul Muhari said 38 people were still unaccounted for while 77 injured victims had been evacuated to several hospitals, while.
Syafii said rescuers were working urgently to save those still believed to be trapped, but warned that the rubble was unstable, with concrete pillars piled precariously atop one another.
Heavy equipment such as cranes and excavators could speed up the removal of concrete to ease access, Syafii said.
“However, moving the concrete can actually threaten the lives of survivors who may still be trapped.”
