Catastrophe Deepens as Indonesia School Collapse Fatalities Rises to 54
News Agency
The death count from the collapse of an Indonesian school has escalated to 54, according to authorities, with emergency responders continuing their search for more than a dozen missing individuals.
Numerous students, primarily teenage boys, had gathered for religious services at the Islamic boarding school in Eastern Java when the building gave way while undergoing construction.
Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency characterizes this as the nation's most fatal catastrophe this year. Emergency workers are expected to complete their search operation for 13 victims ensnared under debris by evening.
Investigation Underway into Structural Failure
Authorities are still examining the reason behind the collapse. Certain authorities indicated the two-level structure collapsed due to an inadequate base.
"Among all the catastrophes in 2025, natural or not, there hasn't been as many dead victims as the incident in Sidoarjo," declared a deputy from the emergency management authority during a media briefing.
The overall number includes at least two people who were extracted from the rubble but subsequently died in medical care.
Institutional Context and Regulatory Concerns
The institution is a traditional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia, commonly known as a pesantren.
Many Islamic schools function without formal oversight, lacking strong regulation or consistent monitoring. It remains uncertain whether the institution had proper authorization to conduct additional construction.
Operational Difficulties
Emergency response efforts have proven challenging due to the manner the building fell, creating tight spaces for rescuers to operate within, officials reported last week.
Survivor Accounts
Those who escaped have shared their terrifying survival stories with regional news outlets.
One teenage survivor described first "hearing the noise of falling rocks", which "intensified and more intense".
The adolescent quickly rushed for the doorway, and while he successfully got out, he was injured by collapsing materials from the ceiling.
