Indonesia earthquake slows efforts to rescue those trapped by school collapse

JAKARTA(National times)- Rescuers battling to extricate students from the rubble of an Islamic school that collapsed, killing three in Indonesia’s province of East Java, faced a harder task on Wednesday after an earthquake that authorities fear packed the debris tighter. Authorities said 91 people were listed as missing, with 100 evacuated and dozens injured after the collapse during students’ late afternoon prayers in a mosque on the lower floor of a building whose upper floors were still under construction. Tuesday’s quake of magnitude 6.5 reduced the space for the people still trapped, complicating the task of rescue by narrowing the room for manoeuvre, said Emi Frizer, an official of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency. “How to hold on to the targets’ lives while still having the same access — that’s going to take us a little longer,” he said, adding that searchers had to be careful not to injure victims’ limbs during their rescue. “If the space was initially 50 cm (20 inches) high, it caved in to 10 cm (4 inches), and we fear it impacts the constriction of the victims,” said Mohammad Syafii, the chief of the search and rescue agency. Disaster officials said three people died in the collapse of the boarding school in the town of Sidoarjo, about 780 km (480 miles) east of Jakarta, the capital. The earthquake that struck the region of Sumenep, about 200 km (124 miles) from the collapse site, injured three people and damaged dozens of homes, Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said on Wednesday. Rescuers detected signs of life that helped them narrow the search for survivors, Emi said. Authorities have said the building’s foundations could not support construction work on its upper levels, leading to the collapse. “This is all foundational failure,” Emi added. An excavator and a crane were at the site to help rescuers shift rubble, but local official Nanang Sigit ruled out their use for fear it could set off a wider collapse.



Latest News
Pakistan Rejects India’s ‘False Assertions’ at UNHRC, Reaffirms Kashmiris’ Right to Self-Determination
PM Shehbaz announces reduction in prices of petrol by Rs74, diesel by Rs67
FY2026-27: KP CM presents Rs2.17tr budget, with estimated fiscal deficit of Rs48bn
Finmin to discuss extension of Fata tax exemptions with IMF, says Sanaullah after PTI-govt meeting
Info ministry refutes Afghan Taliban’s claim of strikes in border areas
Pakistan to fully shift to e-passports
Australia, last continent without H5 bird flu, detects first suspected case
BUDGET 2026-27: ‘Shocking’ climate budget cut draws warning from Sherry Rehman




Multi Media   
Pakistan Exposes India’s Human Rights Record in IIOJK at UNHRC
 Multi Media
2025 in Review: A Year of Impact and Progress in Brussels
 Multi Media
DPM-FM Senator Ishaq Dar’s High-Level Brussels Visit: Key Highlights
 Multi Media
Embassy of Pakistan 🇵🇰 in Brussels || Quarterly Recap of Activities, Engagements & Outreach
 Multi Media
DPM Dar sends Trump peace prize nomination to Nobel Committee