Students Trapped in Rubble: Indonesia School Collapse Claims 3 Lives
Physical Abuse
Introduction
What was meant to be a moment of prayer and reflection turned into unimaginable horror when a school building collapsed in East Java, Indonesia. Teenage students and their teachers were crushed under the rubble of the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School, leaving families devastated and the community shaken.
Officials warn the death toll could rise as rescuers battle time and unstable conditions to save those still trapped under the debris.
The Collapse That Shattered Prayers
On Monday evening, students had gathered in the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo for prayers when the ground trembled and the walls gave way.
The two-storey building, already burdened by additional unapproved construction, collapsed into what rescuers described as a “pancake structure” of concrete slabs, leaving only narrow voids where survivors might cling to life.
So far, three lives have been lost, 99 people have been hospitalised, and at least 38, many of them teenage boys, remain trapped. The girls, who had been praying in a different section of the building, narrowly escaped.
Rescuers Face Race Against Time
Dozens of rescuers worked through the night, listening for cries beneath the rubble. Families waited outside in agony, hoping to hear that their loved ones were alive. The search effort was briefly halted on Tuesday as engineers feared another collapse, but teams with specialized extrication tools have since resumed operations.
Authorities face a grim dilemma: heavy machinery could speed up efforts, but also risk crushing trapped students and staff still trapped. “Shifting slabs may endanger lives,” said Mohammad Syafeii, head of the search and rescue agency Basarnas.
One Student Recalls the Horror
Among those who escaped was 13-year-old Muhammad Rijalul Qoib, who described hearing the sound of rocks falling. “It got louder and louder,” he recalled, before debris struck him as he ran. Bruised but alive, he pulled himself out of the wreckage.
Others were not as fortunate. Sofa, another student, described “lots of injuries” among his peers, including broken bones. Parents like Rosida, who has one son missing and another in the hospital, are living through unbearable uncertainty.
Questions Over Safety and Accountability
The school’s caretaker apologised, calling the collapse “God’s will.” But families are demanding accountability. Sidoarjo’s regent revealed the school’s management had not obtained permits for the building’s expansion, raising urgent concerns about negligence.
The tragedy highlights broader failures: pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) often fall under weak oversight by Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, with little regulation of building standards. Combined with Indonesia’s notoriously poor construction safety record, the collapse was a disaster waiting to happen.
Safeguarding Lessons for Schools and Authorities
This catastrophe underscores the urgent need for reform:
- Stricter construction regulations: No school should expand without certified approval and engineering assessments.
- Regular safety inspections: Independent audits of pesantren facilities must be mandated.
- Disaster preparedness: Students and staff should be trained in evacuation drills and emergency response.
- Government oversight: Stronger monitoring from the Ministry of Religious Affairs to prevent informal, unsafe expansions.
- Support for families: Counseling and financial assistance for those who survived and bereaved families.
Conclusion
The collapse of the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School is a human tragedy born of neglect and systemic gaps in safety oversight. As people who survived recount their harrowing escapes and families wait for news, this disaster must serve as a wake-up call.
Schools should take child protection seriously by obtaining appropriate permits to construct buildings to avoid putting the lives of students and staff in harm’s way through non-compliance.
