An operation to rescue around 60 children trapped under an Islamic boarding school in Indonesia’s East Java province has now shifted into a recovery operation, with the death toll expected to significantly rise.
The Al-Khoziny school in Sidoarjo collapsed on Monday during afternoon prayers, when more than 100 children, mostly teenage boys, were gathered in the lower floors.
It’s estimated 59 children are still buried beneath the building, but as the 72-hour golden window closes, and no signs of life are detected, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said parents have given consent to bring in heavy machinery to recover their loved ones.
At least five people have died in the tragedy, and the death toll could rise as high as 64.
The incident has raised questions about the structural safety of Indonesian buildings, and whether some are ticking time bombs.
In Indonesia, this all depends on the area, according to Rifqi Irvansyah, a researcher for Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center (TDMRC).
"In major urban centres and government areas like Jakarta or Surabaya, getting a permit is the norm," Mr Irvansyah told the ABC.
Mr Irvansyah said it was "a tale of two different Indonesias."
"One is strictly regulated, and the other is where community building traditions often bypass formal safety standards," he said.
"It's fair to say that unpermitted building is a widespread structural problem in non-urban, non-commercial construction."
?Mr Irvansyah said commercial buildings and high-rises in major urban areas must go through a "rigorous approval" process, including a sign-off from multiple experts, including seismic engineers, disaster risk analysts and environmental specialists.
"The local governments here enforce the 'Izin Mendirikan Bangunan (IMB)' or Building Permit quite strictly because budgets are allocated, and the consequences of failure are high."
?However, Mr Irvansyah said the situation "changes dramatically" in suburban areas, smaller towns, and rural regions.
"Here, we often see two main issues: limited public awareness and budget constraints," he said.
For smaller structures, including houses, Mr Irvansyah said people often lacked the funds or awareness to navigate the official permit process, which "can be seen as bureaucratic and costly".
"They often build [first], prioritising speed and cost-saving over official approval."
Incident reflects Indonesia's 'fragility of buildings'
The regent of Sidoarjo, Subandi — who goes by one name — told local media that the school's management had not applied for the required permit before starting construction.
"This was an extension of an existing building. I checked and asked about the paperwork, none of it was there," Mr Subandi told Kompas TV.
He said the building collapsed while concrete work was being carried out on the third floor of the building.
"They were pouring concrete on the third floor, and because the construction didn't meet standards, it couldn't support the load and the whole thing came down," he said.
Mr Subandi said many mosque or boarding school extensions were built without a permit.
"They go ahead with the construction and only sort out the permits after it's finished," he said.
"Permits should be secured before starting construction to ensure the building meets safety standards."
At least 91 people were trapped under the debris, according to the national Disaster Mitigation Agency on Tuesday.
Abdul Muhari, a spokesperson at the Disaster Mitigation Agency, said this was "the first time the agency recorded a collapsing building without any triggers," such as an earthquake, and rather as the result of a failure in building structure.
"This is an eye-opening incident for the agency," he said.
"The incident in Sidoarjo reflected the fragility of the buildings [in Indonesia]."
He added that many houses in Indonesia were not properly assessed or built to survive an earthquake, despite 80 per cent of the country being prone to a seismic event.
In a statement released yesterday, the Disaster Mitigation Agency said a "technological failure in construction" triggered the collapse of the Islamic boarding school.
"The foundation columns reportedly failed to support the weight of the fresh concrete, causing the building to collapse all the way down to the ground floor," it said.
"The agency emphasised that this incident falls under technological failure-related disaster, which must be prevented through strict enforcement of construction safety standards.
"The public and building managers are urged to ensure proper technical supervision in building projects to avoid similar tragedies in the future."
Days-long ordeal for families
The ordeal has been agonising for families, who rushed to Sidoarjo when they heard news of the boarding school collapse.
More than 100 people were evacuated when the school initially collapsed, and painstaking recovery efforts from search and rescue crews saw five children pulled from the rubble on Wednesday.
Many children were seriously injured during the frantic escape from the school as it came crumbling down.
Hamid, from Madura, said she and her three cousins had all sent their sons to the boarding school to study.
While her cousins’ children are ok, she now fears her 17-year-old boy, Syamsul Arifin, is dead.
"I’m devastated, broken inside. But I’ve put everything in the hands of the Almighty" she said.
"Maybe this is my son’s fate, that things turned out this way.
"No matter what happens, no matter how things turn out for my son, I will bring him home. No matter how broken he is, I will bring him home."
On Thursday afternoon, parents gathered together in chants and prayer, wishing for their children and loved ones to be alive, or for the safe return of their bodies.
Wailing and cries cut through the crowd as families were told their children had likely perished.
'A learning experience'
Indonesia's Religious Affairs Minister has pledged to pay "special attention" to ensure that the construction of Islamic boarding schools in the country comply with safety standards and regulations.
"We must not let something like this [the recent collapse] happen again," Minister Nasaruddin Umar told reporters on Tuesday.
"Construction has to meet the required standards."
"Hopefully this will be a learning experience for us," he said.
Asked by a reporter whether students had been involved in the concrete works, Mr Umar said it wasn't something he was aware of — but that students commonly helped out with extensions for building Islamic schools.
For an earthquake-prone country like Indonesia, Mr Irvansyah said a structure that was partially destroyed posed an imminent danger.
"It's a disaster waiting to happen if a seismic event occurs," he said.
"These partially completed buildings aren't just an aesthetic issue. They are a ticking time bomb from an engineering and life-safety perspective."
Additional reporting by Erwin Renaldi
