A prayer gathering turned into a nightmare in East Java, Indonesia.
A school building suddenly collapsed — leaving dozens trapped under rubble.
Officials confirmed three deaths and nearly 100 hospitalisations so far, but the toll could climb.
At least 38 more people, mostly teenage boys, are feared trapped.
They are beneath the ruins of the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo.
They had just begun evening prayers when the structure gave way.
Why Did It Happen?
Authorities say the two-storey school had a weak foundation but was carrying the weight of two additional floors under construction.
The result: what rescuers describe as a “pancake collapse” — concrete slabs stacked tightly, leaving only narrow voids.
“Shifting the slabs may also endanger survivors,” explained Mohammad Syafeii, head of Indonesia’s Basarnas rescue agency.
He laid out the agonising choices facing his teams.
Survivors spoke of chaos. “It got louder and louder,” said 13-year-old Muhammad Rijalul Qoib, recalling the sound of rocks crashing down.
Hit by falling debris, he scrambled his way out. Others weren’t so lucky.
Parents have been camping at the site, clinging to hope as cries from beneath the rubble fade in and out.
Indonesia’s pesantren schools hold deep cultural roots — but often operate without strong oversight.
And in a country where building safety is notoriously weak, tragedies like this keep repeating.
The haunting question now: how many lessons must be buried in rubble before change comes?
