Dozens missing, three dead in Indonesia school collapse

Searchers in Indonesia raced Tuesday to rescue dozens of people still believed trapped a day after the collapse of an Islamic school building that has already left three dead, authorities said.

Tearful families desperate for news of their loved ones crowded around the flattened multi-storey building, as rescuers navigated a maze of concrete rubble in the town of Sidoarjo, located on Indonesia's main island of Java.

The building suddenly gave way on Monday as students were gathered for afternoon prayers, said local reports, citing a witness.

Late Tuesday, an AFP journalist in the area felt tremors after the US Geological Survey said a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck off the coast nearby.

There were no immediate reports of damages and it was not immediately clear whether the quake affected the rescue operation.

Imron, a father of one of the missing people, told local broadcaster Metro TV from near the site that he was waiting for his child to be rescued.

"We are still waiting patiently. Hopefully, there is a miracle and my child will soon be evacuated," said Imron, who only gave one name.

Local rescue agency head Nanang Sigit said in a statement that the number of people affected was 100, revising down an earlier figure of 102 due to double-counting.

Three people were killed, including two who succumbed to their injuries in hospital.

As of Tuesday, 11 people had been rescued from the rubble, Nanang said. 

The national search and rescue agency said those rescued were between 13 and 19 years old.

Nanang told reporters that rescuers had detected signs of life beneath the debris.

"We used a camera and were able to detect six victims who showed signs of life," he said.

"When they saw the light from the search camera, they were moving their legs."

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Abdul Muhari said earlier Tuesday 38 people were unaccounted for.

Authorities have not provided a fresh update on the number of missing.

National Search and Rescue Agency head Mohammad Syafii said earlier Tuesday that rescuers were working urgently to save those still believed to be trapped, but warned that the rubble was unstable, with concrete pillars piled precariously atop one another.

Heavy equipment such as cranes and excavators could speed up the removal of concrete to ease access, Syafii said.

"However, moving the concrete can actually threaten the lives of survivors who may still be trapped."

Local media reports quoted a school official as saying construction work had been ongoing for the past nine months.

The building collapsed after its foundation pillars failed to support the weight of new construction on the fourth floor of the school, according to BNBP spokesman Abdul Muhari.

He called for stricter safety standards and urged the public and building managers to oversee construction processes more carefully to prevent similar incidents.

Lax construction standards have raised widespread concerns about building safety in Indonesia, where it is common to leave structures -- particularly houses -- partially completed, allowing owners to add extra floors later when their budgets permit.

Earlier this month, at least three people were killed and dozens injured when a building hosting a prayer recital collapsed in West Java.

In 2018, seven teenagers rehearsing for a musical show were killed in Cirebon, east of Jakarta, when the building they were in collapsed.

That same year, at least 75 people were injured when the mezzanine floor at Indonesia's stock exchange building in Jakarta collapsed into the lobby.