SIDOARJO, Indonesia: At least one person died and dozens were injured Monday (Sept 29) after an Islamic school building collapsed on Indonesia's main island of Java, a police official said.
More than 100 students had gathered to perform afternoon prayers when the multistorey building suddenly collapsed, state news agency Antara reported, citing a witness.
East Java police spokesman Jules Abraham Abast told reporters that rescuers evacuated at least 79 victims from the incident at the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in the town of Sidoarjo.
At least one victim had died following the incident, Jules said, citing information from a hospital, without disclosing further details.
Authorities are working to establish how many victims are still at the scene, he said.
"We, along with relevant stakeholders, are actively communicating with relevant parties, including the Islamic boarding school, to determine the exact number of victims who are still or may still be trapped in the rubble," Jules said.
Abdus Salam Mujib, one of the heads of the boarding school, said that the building had collapsed after workers poured concrete for the third floor of the building.
"The building only had three floors. The plan was to have four floors with a flat roof," he told reporters.
"Upper levels of the building were planned to be used for classrooms and student activities, while the lower floor was already used as a prayer room."
Lax construction standards have raised widespread concerns about building safety in Indonesia.
Earlier this month, at least three people were killed and dozens injured after a building hosting a prayer recital collapsed in West Java.
Meanwhile, teenagers rehearsing for a musical show were among seven people killed in Cirebon, east of Jakarta, in 2018 when the building they were in collapsed.
At least 75 people were also injured the same year when a mezzanine floor at Indonesia's stock exchange building in Jakarta collapsed into the lobby. - AFP
