#building-collapse

#building-collapse

Indonesian rescuers wrapped up the search on Tuesday for victims trapped under the rubble of a collapsed Islamic boarding school in the province of East Java, after retrieving more than 60 bodies, disaster authorities said. Grief and confusion gripped the small town of Sidoarjo last week after foundational failures caused the Al Khoziny school to cave in on hundreds of people, mostly teenage boys, while they were at afternoon prayers.

For several weeks, construction work had been taking place at the school, where builders were pouring concrete on two upper floors. The weight of the concrete caused the building to collapse in layers that Indonesian officials described as resembling a pancake. Muhammad fell several times as he fled and was hit by debris, including large chunks of crumbling cement.

The city's fire department said it had no immediate reports of injuries. It said it was responding to a report of a gas explosion that collapsed an incinerator shaft in the 20-story building in the Bronx. Authorities said no residential units were affected. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of this event and the extent of any damage beyond the reported exterior damage to the chimney, the city's Housing authority said in a statement.

The blaze broke out at 481 Van Brunt St., which houses dozens of artist studios and small businesses, at around 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 17, officials said. Flames quickly engulfed the top floors of the building and spread to the roof, forcing firefighters to evacuate. This type of construction is called heavy timber, it's all wood so, once these structural members start going, the fire takes over rather quickly, said FDNY Assistant Deputy Chief Kevin Woods.

Authorities are probing Xin Ke Yuan Steel and another Chinese contractor involved in the construction to find out why the building crumbled following a quake...