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Indonesia's first responders recovered numerous further victims over the weekend, raising the official fatality count to 49 after a worship space at an Muslim educational institution caved in last week.

Intensive Rescue Operations Ongoing

Employing heavy excavators equipped with breaking equipment, saws and sometimes their bare hands, responders cleared massive amounts of debris in a urgent attempt to discover the 14 scholars allegedly still lost. Emergency workers found 35 victims over the recent period alone, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

Timeline of the Tragic Incident

The construction collapsed on top of scores of scholars – primarily male students ranging from 12 to 19 – on 29 September at the 100-year-old school in East Java. Of those extracted, 97 were cared for for multiple wounds and discharged. Six others experienced serious injuries and continued to be under medical care on Sunday.

Cause of Collapse Uncovered

Police state that additional floors were being added to the existing facility in the absence of a official authorization, causing catastrophic failure. This has provoked broad outrage over unauthorized building in the nation.

“The building work failed to withstand the weight while the building material was being placed [to build] the new story because it didn't meet safety requirements and the complete 800-square-metres building collapsed,” explained a building specialist from an engineering university.

The specialist also commented that students should not have been allowed inside a building being built.

Government Reaction

The local district head acknowledged the educational facility's leadership had not applied for the required permit before initiating the project.

“Various structures, including typical boarding school additions, in countryside locations were erected lacking a construction license,” the administrator stated.

Regulatory Ramifications

The country's building safety laws dictate that authorizations have to be provided by the relevant authorities in advance of any construction project, or else proprietors confront penalties and imprisonment. If a infraction causes fatalities, this can lead to up to 15 years in jail and a penalty of up to 8bn Indonesian currency (nearly $500,000).

Statement from Facility Management

The facility's administrator, a prominent Islamic cleric in East Java, issued a official statement in a rare appearance a day after the tragedy.

“This is truly divine destiny so we must all be patient, and may God compensate with blessings, with an outcome much better,” he said. “We must be certain that God will reward those affected by this incident with substantial blessings.”

Continuing Probe

Judicial inquiries related to Muslim clerics continue to be sensitive in the largest Islamic country.

There has been silence from facility management since the tragedy.

“We will examine this incident thoroughly,” East Java's police chief announced on Sunday.

“Our probe also demands expertise from a team of structural engineers to determine whether carelessness by the school resulted in the deaths.”