JAKARTA - The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has reported that the number of survivors of the collapse of the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School building in Sidoarjo, East Java, has increased to 104.
This number increased after a student who was previously missing was reported by his guardian on Friday, October 3, to have survived the building collapse. He then went to a friend's house.
"The total number is now 118 people, with 14 dead and 104 safe," said Nanang Sigit, Head of the Surabaya Basarnas Office, in Sidoarjo, East Java, on Saturday, as reported by Antara.
He added that when the prayer room at the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School collapsed, the student ran out of the boarding school and headed to a friend's house. The student was reported missing because he failed to inform his parents of his whereabouts.
The student's parents, he continued, were at the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School site, suspecting the victim was buried under the rubble. However, on Friday (October 3rd), the student visited the Islamic boarding school and met with his parents.
"Yesterday, a student named Ibnu arrived. He was reported missing by his parents. His parents waited here, and when his son arrived, we updated the data on survivors," he said.
Meanwhile, as of Friday evening at 11:00 PM WIB (Western Indonesian Time), the joint SAR team found another victim in sector A4. This brings the total number of victims who died from the building collapse from 13 to 14.
He said the search process is still focused on clearing access to rubble using heavy equipment, but is being monitored to avoid endangering the bodies of those still buried.
He stated that the team has removed approximately 60 percent of the building's materials, although demolition and clearing are not the primary objectives of the operation.
"The main goal is not to demolish the entire building, but to open access to expedite the evacuation. If there are signs of victims, the process will be immediately halted and the evacuation will begin," he said.
Furthermore, the excavators were only used to clear paths and not to remove victims.
He continued, adding that to ensure safety, each sector was equipped with safety officers who visually monitored for any indication of casualties.
Nanang said that preliminary reports from students' guardians indicated that 49 students were still unaccounted for.
However, Nanang said that this data could not be used as a definitive reference because it was still possible that some students had returned home without notifying the police.
"Like yesterday, there was a missing person report, but it turned out the child, Ibnu, from Surabaya, was not at the location. So the number 49 cannot be confirmed as completely accurate," he said.
He emphasized that the search operation, according to standard operating procedures, will last seven days, with the possibility of extension if signs of the victim are found.
"Mathematically, the process could possibly be completed today, or at most tomorrow, but it still depends on the situation on the ground," Nanang said.
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