Thirty-six people have died after the Al Khoziny boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, collapsed on Monday afternoon, officials said.
Twenty-seven more people are missing, most of them aged 13 to 19, and more than 100 students had gathered for prayer when the collapse occurred, authorities said.
Rescue workers said movements and vibrations in one area could affect other parts of the building, complicating efforts. Relatives agreed earlier this week to deploy heavier equipment after the expiration of the so-called “golden period” of 72 hours, Reuters reported.
A school executive said the accident happened after construction workers poured concrete for a third floor under construction.
Indonesia’s disaster management agency suspects the building’s foundation may not have been designed to handle that weight. The investigation into the cause of the collapse is ongoing, and initial findings point to poor construction quality, experts said.
Officials said the school collapsed when a support pillar gave way. Rescue workers recovered five survivors from under the rubble after two days.
Concerns about building safety have long been raised in Indonesia. Earlier this month, three people were killed in West Java when a building collapsed during a prayer meeting.
