Islamic school collapses killing at least three people, with dozens more missing

An Islamic school in Indonesia has collapsed killing at least three people, with dozens more missing.   

More than 100 students were taken to hospital after the building gave way on Monday on Indonesia’s main island Java where pupils at Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school were gathered for afternoon prayers.

At least 38 people, mostly aged between 12 and 17, are still believed to be trapped, while rescue workers dug throughout the night and pulled out eight injured survivors.

Families desperate for news of their loved ones and rescuers were crowded around the multi-storey building in the East Java town of Sidoarjo.

Relatives wept as they watched emergency workers pull a dusty, injured student from the buried prayer hall. 

‘The number of victims is 102 people, consisting of 99 survivors, 3 deaths,’ National Search and Rescue Agency head Mohammad Syafii said.

He added that rescuers were working urgently to save the lives of survivors who are thought to still be trapped under the rubble.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Abdul Muhari said rescuers were still searching for 38 people thought to be trapped under the rubble.

Atok Irawan, the head of a local hospital in Sidoarjo, said that two people died of their injuries on Tuesday while they were treated in the hospital’s emergency 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.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.