Indonesia ends search for victims of school collapse with at least 61 dead

"Indonesia has halted the search for bodies at a collapsed Islamic boarding school after retrieving more than 60, officials said. The National Search and Rescue Agency announced on Tuesday that the teams were stepping down after more than a week of efforts to recover victims trapped beneath the rubble at the al-Khoziny school. Parts of the school in the town of Sidoarjo, East Java, caved in on September 29 while the students were at afternoon prayers."

"Entering the 9th day, we have concluded the search and rescue operation for the victims, the head of the rescue agency (Basarnas), Mohammad Syafii, told a news conference. He said the authorities have cleared all the debris from the site and determined no further bodies would be found. The bodies of at least 61 people in the building have been found, as well as seven body parts, the agency said."

"Of the bodies recovered from the site, only 17 have been identified so far, according to the police's Disaster Victim Identification unit. Severed limbs are among the body parts discovered, said Budi Irawan, deputy chief of the National Disaster Agency. More than 100 people survived the disaster, the agency's operations director, Yudhi Bramantyo, said. The school collapse was Indonesia's deadliest disaster so far this year, according to the National Disaster Agency."

Search teams suspended operations at the collapsed al-Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo after recovering more than 60 bodies and clearing all debris. The collapse occurred on September 29 during afternoon prayers and prompted a multi‑day rescue involving tunnel digging and calls for survivors. Rescuers retrieved at least 61 bodies and seven body parts, with some reports suggesting up to 67 fatalities; only 17 victims have been identified so far. Severed limbs were among recovered remains. More than 100 people survived. Families permitted heavy machinery after the initial 72‑hour golden period, enabling final rubble clearance and body recovery.

Read at www.aljazeera.com