The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) in a race against time is leading a massive rescue operation after the collapse of Al-Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Buduran, Sidoarjo, East Java, with more than 90 students feared trapped beneath the rubble.
Over 330 personnel from Basarnas, the East Java Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), local BPBD units, the Disaster Preparedness Cadets, police, and military have joined the operation.
Despite heavy equipment being prepared − including excavators, cranes, and a heavy duty rescue (HDR) vehicle − Basarnas has instructed teams to proceed manually, citing the risk of further collapses if vibrations from machinery are used.
“Rescue operations must be carried out with precision and utmost caution,” Nanang Sigit, head of the Surabaya Basarnas Office, said.
He cited that Basarnas has divided teams into small units tasked with digging narrow tunnels to reach survivors. Through these openings, rescuers are supplying oxygen, drinking water, food, and medicines to those still alive under the debris.
Basarnas emphasized that heavy machinery will only be deployed once it is confirmed that no survivors remain. Since the incident on Monday, September 29, 2025, rescue teams have worked around the clock, manually clearing rubble in a painstaking effort to save as many lives as possible.
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