“The operation will only be declared complete once the site is fully cleared, all rubble separated, and no victims remain,” Basarnas Chief Mohammad Syafii said at a press conference in Jakarta on Monday.
He explained that although Basarnas typically operates under a seven-day protocol, extendable by three days, the collapse of the Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School requires special handling due to the high number of victims and the complexity of the structure.
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On Monday, the eighth day after the incident, rescue efforts continued around the clock. A joint team involving Basarnas, the military, police, disaster management agencies, and volunteers remained deployed at the site.
Syafii added that even after search and rescue operations conclude, post-disaster recovery will continue under the coordination of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and other relevant ministries.
“This doesn’t mean activities related to the incident will stop. There will still be follow-up measures after the SAR phase ends,” he said at the emergency command post.
As of 6:38 p.m. local time (GMT+7) on Monday, data from the Sidoarjo emergency post showed that 169 people had been evacuated. Of these, 104 survivors received medical treatment, while the remaining victims were confirmed dead.
The SAR team also recovered six body parts, which are being identified by the East Java Police’s Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) unit at Bhayangkara Hospital in Surabaya.
Officials said the casualty count remains fluid and may change as field assessments continue and debris removal progresses.
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Translator: M. Riezko Bima Elko Prasetyo, Anton Santoso
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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