3 Students Dead, 38 Trapped in Rubble After Boarding School Collapses

Three students have reportedly died, while 38 are missing, believed to be trapped, after a school building collapsed in Indonesia.

On Monday, Sept. 29, the Al Khoziny boarding school in Sidoarjo, a town on the island of Java, collapsed, according to Reuters, the BBC, and Sky News. While 99 people were hospitalized after the incident, which took place during the Islamic school’s afternoon prayers, 38 are still missing, per BBC.

A total of 102 people were evacuated from the collapsed building, according to Indonesia’s national newspaper Kompas,

Many of the 38 people still trapped under the rubble are believed to be boys aged between 12 and 17, per Sky News. Female students were praying separately and escaping from another part of the school.

A 13-year-old boy has also been confirmed as one of the three deceased, according to the outlet.

The collapse reportedly took place during construction work at the site, per Reuters, with a police spokesperson telling Sky News that building works were “unauthorized.”

“This sudden occurrence caused building material to fall on dozens of students and workers,” disaster mitigation agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said, per Reuters.

“The construction was not up to standard… so the whole thing collapsed,” an official told Kompas TV on Monday, as noted by the BBC.

The foundations of the two-storey building were too weak to withstand the construction of two additional floors, according to the outlet.

PEOPLE has contacted the police, the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure Government, and Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) for comment, but did not immediately receive responses.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Student Muhammad Rijalul Qoib recalled that hundreds of his peers were praying when rocks began to fall. “It got louder and louder,” the 13-year-old said, as reported by the BBC.

Another student added to the outlet that there were numerous injuries and “broken bones.”

Meanwhile, rescuer Nanang Sigit told a Tuesday press conference that he believed there were still survivors in the rubble, as noted by Kompas, with authorities telling the BBC that crying and shouting could be heard.

“There was one who could still communicate, so we supplied oxygen and also provided drinks and food,” Sigit said.

“We have been running oxygen and water to those still trapped under the debris and keeping them alive while we work hard to get them out,” he added to Sky News.

On Tuesday, efforts had to be suspended for a period due to the sudden movement of a collapsed structure, according to the outlet.

A mother cried, “Oh my God… my son is still buried, oh my God please help,” after seeing her son’s name on a list of those missing, Sky News reported.

Another father was heard telling a rescuer, “Please, sir, please find my child immediately.”