BNPB: Joint Team Still Searching for 38 Students from Ruins of Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo

JAKARTA - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that as of this afternoon, a joint SAR team was still searching for 38 people suspected of being buried under the rubble of the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Buduran, Sidoarjo Regency, East Java.

"38 people," said Abdul Muhari, Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, in Jakarta, Antara News Agency, Tuesday, September 30.

According to him, a total of 102 victims have been evacuated from this incident, 91 of whom managed to escape independently, while 11 others were evacuated by the joint SAR team.

"One of the 11 people assisted in the evacuation was found dead," Abdul said.

Meanwhile, 77 injured victims have been taken to nearby hospitals: 34 to Sidoarjo Regional Hospital, 38 to Siti Hajar Hospital, and four to Delta Surya Hospital.

"The deceased have also been identified," he said.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) warned that this incident falls into the category of technological failure disasters that require future anticipation. Therefore, Abdul emphasized the importance of strictly implementing construction safety standards to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

"Multi-story buildings, especially those used for educational purposes and occupied by many people, must be strictly monitored during their construction," he said.

The collapse of the Islamic boarding school occurred on Monday (September 29) at around 3:00 p.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB) while students were performing the Asr prayer in congregation.

Preliminary suspicion is that the building's foundation was unable to support the weight of the concrete work on the fourth floor, which had been underway since morning, causing it to collapse through to the ground floor.