Hope of finding survivors in Indonesia school collapse fades as rescuers turn to heavy machinery

Hope of finding survivors in Indonesia school collapse fades as rescuers turn to heavy machinery World Oct 2, 2025 10:52 AM EDT

SIDOARJO, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian rescue authorities made the tough decision on Thursday to start using heavy machinery to move large sections of a collapsed school, with no more signs of life from beneath the rubble and nearly 60 teenage students still unaccounted for three days after the building caved in.

The decision had been made in consultation with the families of those still missing, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Pratikno told reporters at the scene in Sidoarjo.

For Mohammad Solehoddin, whose son Ahmad Suafi still hasn’t been found, ramping up the effort with heavy excavators seemed the best chance of