JAKARTA:Officials reported that the death toll from the collapse of an Indonesian school increased to 17 on Saturday, as rescuers used heavy machinery to search for many more victims thought to be trapped beneath the debris.
A section of the multi-storey boarding school suddenly fell down on Monday while students assembled for afternoon prayers. On Saturday, rescuers recovered two bodies and a body part from the debris, increasing the death toll to 17, according to a statement from Yudhi Bramantyo, the operation director of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).
“The evacuation procedure is still in progress,” Yudhi stated on Saturday, adding that debris removal is concentrated on the northern side in a zone not connected to the primary structure.
The head of the local search and rescue agency, Nanang Sigit, verified the revised toll in a different statement.
Earlier on Saturday, officials announced that they had found nine bodies on Friday.
Rescue teams were looking for 49 individuals who remained unaccounted for, stated National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Suharyanto, before the recovery of the most recent bodies.
Authorities have deployed additional equipment and personnel to speed up operations as families wait anxiously for updates on missing loved ones. The cause of the collapse is still under investigation, but preliminary reports indicate possible structural weaknesses worsened by heavy rainfall in the area.
