Five survivors pulled from school debris as rescuers race against time

About 90 people are believed to be in the ruins of the school on the island of Java in Indonesia; toll rises to five

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Members of the search and rescue operations carry a relative of the victim of a collapsed building in Sidoarjo, East Java province, on Wednesday.

(REUTERS)

Rescuers pulled five survivors from a collapsed school in Indonesia on Wednesday as frantic parents demanded searchers speed up efforts to find dozens of children believed still trapped in the rubble two days on.

Part of the multi-storey boarding school, in the town of Sidoarjo on the island of Java, gave way suddenly on Monday as students gathered for afternoon prayers.

“Today we managed to evacuate seven victims, five of them were rescued alive, and two were found dead,” Yudhi Bramantyo, operational director of the search and rescue services, told a press briefing in Sidoarjo, 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the city of Surabaya.

“The five survivors were able to communicate,” he added.

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

Tearful parents milled near the ruins throughout Wednesday awaiting news.