Indonesia earthquake: school safety questioned as army joins rescue effort

School buildings should not only withstand quakes but also act as temporary shelter during disasters, says engineering expert

Safety standards for school buildings in Indonesia should be prioritised after Monday's earthquake, experts have said, as more rescuers and volunteers were deployed on Wednesday to search for the dead and missing from an earthquake that killed at least 268 people.

Many of those killed in Monday's quake in West Java were children taking classes at schools and Islamic boarding schools in the region, according to Muhadjir Effendy, coordinating minister of human development and culture. A further 1,000 people were injured.