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Indonesian first responders found numerous additional remains over the weekend, bringing the official number of deaths to 49 after a religious building at an Muslim educational institution fell down last week.

Relentless Search and Rescue In Progress

Utilizing large machinery equipped with jackhammers, cutting tools and at times their own hands, emergency personnel removed tons of debris in a desperate effort to locate the 14 pupils allegedly still missing. Rescuers found 35 bodies over the weekend alone, according to the national emergency authority.

Timeline of the Heartbreaking Event

The structure fell on top of numerous of pupils – mostly young men ranging from 12 to 19 – on 29 September at the historic boarding school in the Sidoarjo district. Of those extracted, 97 were treated for various wounds and sent home. Six others sustained critical trauma and were still hospitalised on Sunday.

Reason of Collapse Revealed

Law enforcement claim that extra stories were being constructed to the existing structure lacking a official authorization, causing structural failure. This has provoked broad anger over unauthorized building in the nation.

“The construction couldn't support the weight while the cement was being placed [to build] the additional level because it violated standards and the complete 800-square-metres building caved in,” stated a structural engineer from a local technical institute.

The expert also said that students must not have been given access inside a structure undergoing construction.

Administrative Reaction

Sidoarjo district's chief confirmed the institution's administration had not applied for the required permit before commencing the project.

“Many constructions, including conventional educational institution extensions, in countryside locations were built without a permit,” the official said.

Judicial Implications

The nation's building safety laws specify that authorizations have to be granted by the appropriate agencies prior to any construction, or else proprietors face penalties and jail time. If a violation results in loss of life, this can culminate in up to 15 years in jail and a penalty of up to 8bn rupiah (nearly $500,000).

Statement from Institution Administration

The school's caretaker, a respected Muslim scholar in East Java, offered a formal apology in a rare address a day after the incident.

“This is certainly divine destiny so we must all be resigned, and may God replace it with goodness, with an outcome more beneficial,” he remarked. “We must be certain that God will compensate those touched by this tragedy with significant blessings.”

Continuing Investigation

Judicial investigations concerning religious leaders remain contentious in the world's most populous Islamic country.

There has been no statement from school officials since the incident.

“We will investigate this matter comprehensively,” the province's police chief said on Sunday.

“Our investigation also needs expertise from a team of building specialists to ascertain whether carelessness by the facility resulted in the fatalities.”