The death toll in an Indonesian school collapse rose to 10 on Friday, officials said, but dozens were still believed to be under the rubble without signs of life days after the disaster.
Part of the multi-storey boarding school in the town of Sidoarjo, on Indonesia’s island of Java, collapsed suddenly on Monday as students gathered for afternoon prayers.
The head of the search and rescue office in the nearby city of Surabaya, Nanang Sigit, told reporters that “today we found five victims, they all were found dead,” taking the overall death toll to 10.
Two male students who had been hit by debris were discovered on Friday in the school’s ablution area, according to Yudhi Bramantyo, the operations director of the national search and rescue agency.
Nanang said a third victim was found under debris “not far from” the other two, but did not disclose details about the fourth and fifth bodies found on Friday.
Officials had said 59 people were feared missing before the five bodies were found.
Distraught families have been waiting anxiously near the site for news of their loved ones.
Investigators have been looking into the cause of the collapse, but initial signs pointed to substandard construction, experts have said.
The rescue operation is complex because vibrations happening in one place can affect other areas, officials said.
But the families of the missing agreed on Thursday for heavy equipment to be used, after the 72-hour “golden period” for the best chance of survival came to an end.
At least one crane was deployed to clear the rubble, with more expected to be called upon to speed up recovery efforts.
The rescue operation was complicated by an earthquake that struck overnight on Tuesday, briefly halting the search.
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