‘No signs of life’: Hopes turn to anguish in Indonesia school collapse

Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia – Hopes for dozens of students feared trapped successful rubble astatine a collapsed boarding schoolhouse person turned to anguish arsenic authorities displacement their absorption from rescue to recovery.

Suharyanto, the caput of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, told a quality league connected Thursday that thermal drones and different instrumentality had recovered “no further signs of life” astatine Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3FBI cuts ties with Anti-Defamation League amid blimpish backlash
• list 2 of 3The Take: The US military’s MAGA makeover
• list 3 of 3Yasin Malik, Kashmir’s best-known separatist, an Indian quality asset?

Relatives of the missing students collapsed successful the streets astir the tract and wailed successful anguish upon proceeding the news.

Authorities said they would bring successful dense machinery to assistance successful betterment efforts.

Until now, they had resisted bringing successful excavators to wide the debris for fearfulness of harming anyone trapped alive.

Authorities person sealed disconnected the school, which officials accidental collapsed arsenic operation workers were laying factual connected the building’s 4th floor, arsenic rescuers proceed to painstakingly prime done the debris for the 59 radical believed missing.

But adjacent hundreds of metres from the scene, the odor of decomposing bodies was overwhelming.

Police portion astir the tract of the schoolhouse illness successful Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, connected October 2, 2025 [Aisyah Llewellyn/Al Jazeera]

The missing are “all dead”, said a inferior constabulary serviceman lasting defender astatine the scene, asking not to beryllium named.

He said it had agelong been suspected that astir of the students trapped wrong the schoolhouse had perished.

Family members who person been sleeping astatine the country since Monday, erstwhile the gathering collapsed, lined up astatine an on-site structure connected Thursday to springiness DNA samples successful the hopes of identifying their loved ones.

Ahmad Ichsan, whose 14-year-old lad Arif Affandi is believed to beryllium trapped, wiped distant tears and murmured a supplication arsenic doctors from the neighbouring metropolis of Surabaya prepared to instrumentality a buccal swab.

“He has been astatine the boarding schoolhouse for 2 years and 4 months,” Ichsan, who is from Madura, an land astir 33km northeast of Sidoarjo, told Al Jazeera.

“I sent him to schoolhouse present truthful that helium would larn to beryllium a bully lad and beryllium devoted to his parents and devoted to his country.”

Ichsan said helium recovered retired astir the illness from the genitor of different kid successful his son’s class.

“I instantly came to the school. I person been present ever since,” helium said.

“They haven’t recovered him yet, but I inactive person anticipation helium is alive.”

Ahmad Ichsan, whose lad is missing, provides a DNA illustration astatine the tract of the schoolhouse illness successful Sidoarjo [Aisyah Llewellyn/Al Jazeera]

Late connected Wednesday evening, 5 students were recovered live successful an aerial pouch of the collapsed building, fuelling hopes that much could beryllium saved.

Those hopes seemed progressively fragile connected Thursday arsenic the “golden window” – the captious 72-hour play cited by experts arsenic important for uncovering catastrophe victims live – expired.

Five students person been confirmed dormant truthful far, and much than 100 radical were injured.

Muhammad Sobir said helium was holding retired anticipation that his 13-year-old son, Nurdin, would beryllium recovered alive.

“God willing, helium volition beryllium recovered alive. I volition enactment present until they find him,” helium told Al Jazeera.

Nurdin, from neighbouring Madura, had lone been astatine the schoolhouse for 4 months, Sobir said.

“We chose this boarding schoolhouse arsenic it is known for providing a high-quality education. Nurdin is simply a bully boy, specified a bully boy, and truthful diligent successful his studies,” helium said.

Sobir said helium did not cognize what had caused the schoolhouse to collapse, but that it was not his superior focus.

“I don’t cognize what happened, but I can’t deliberation astir that astatine the moment,” helium said.

“I saw what happened connected television. I was really watching it connected the quality astatine the time, and I rushed here, but nary 1 has seen my boy.”

Muhammad Sobir, whose lad is missing, provides a DNA illustration astatine the tract of the schoolhouse illness successful Sidoarjo [Aisyah Llewellyn/Al Jazeera]

Sobir’s wife, Nur Fatria, besides gave a buccal swab to the forensic team.

“I can’t adjacent archer you what I consciousness having to bash this test,” she told Al Jazeera.

“I’m inactive successful daze and confused. I don’t cognize what I consciousness immoderate more. I person been present for 4 days.”

Deris, a forensic constabulary doctor, said some parents of those missing are being asked to supply DNA samples truthful they tin beryllium cross-referenced.

“We instrumentality buccal swabs and past nonstop them to the laboratory to beryllium tested against the DNA of the corpses that are recovered astatine the site,” Deris, who, similar galore Indonesians, goes by 1 name, told Al Jazeera.

“Then we volition instrumentality DNA samples from the victim’s bones oregon different assemblage portion to spot if they match.”

Distressed relatives locomotion to the forensic structure astatine the tract of the collapsed schoolhouse successful Sidoarjo [Aisyah Llewellyn/Al Jazeera]

Former pupil Hayyi, 23, said helium was waiting for quality of his younger brother, 15-year-old Ahmad Suhavi, whom helium past saw respective months agone during the summertime holidays.

“He conscionable said that helium was going backmost to the school, and I wished him well,” Hayyi told Al Jazeera.

“We don’t cognize wherever helium is located successful the school, and we person had nary updates astir his status.”

Hayyi added: “My parents sent him to this schoolhouse to summation much knowledge, and to larn to beryllium a amended person.”