Five survivors pulled from collapsed school in Indonesia

Rescuers pulled five survivors from the ruins of a collapsed school in Indonesia on Oct 1, as desperate parents demanded searchers speed up efforts to find dozens more still believed trapped in the rubble.

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Part of the multi-storey boarding school in Sidoarjo, on Java Island, gave way suddenly on Sept 29 as students gathered for afternoon prayers.

"Today, we managed to evacuate seven victims. Five of them were rescued alive, and two were found dead," Mr Yudhi Bramantyo, operational director of the search and rescue services, said on Oct 1. "The five survivors were able to communicate."

The latest death toll brings the number of people killed in the disaster to five.

Based on school records, "91 people are suspected to be buried", National Disaster and Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement late on Sept 30. Tearful parents milled around the ruins on Oct 1, awaiting news of their children.

"We believe our children might still be alive because they were crying for help," said Mr Abdul Hanan, whose 14-year-old son is missing.

"The rescue operation must be accelerated," the 45-year-old told AFP. "We are racing against time now," he added, bursting into tears.