The death toll at the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, Indonesia, has tragically risen to 36 from an earlier count of 16, following a catastrophic building collapse. Efforts to locate 27 missing students, primarily teenage boys, continue in earnest as rescue teams navigate the rubble.
Authorities have deployed cranes to accelerate debris excavation, with hopes of concluding search operations by Monday. The collapse occurred during afternoon prayers last Monday as the building crumbled under ill-supported construction work, crushing hundreds of students in the process.
Despite initial resilience, rescue teams obtained parental consent on Friday to employ heavy machinery after detecting no signs of life through previous search efforts. The Al Khoziny incident underscores cha