Tragedy Deepens as Indonesian School Collapse Fatalities Increases to 54
News Agency
The death count from the structural failure of an educational facility in Indonesia has climbed to 54, as confirmed by officials, with rescue teams continuing their search for more than a dozen unaccounted persons.
Hundreds students, mostly adolescent males, had assembled for prayers at the Islamic boarding school in East Java when the building gave way while undergoing construction.
The country's emergency management authority describes this as the nation's most fatal disaster in 2025. Rescue personnel are expected to conclude their rescue mission for 13 victims ensnared under debris by day's end.
Investigation Ongoing into Structural Failure
Investigators are still examining the cause behind the structural failure. Certain authorities indicated the two-storey building collapsed due to an inadequate base.
"Among all the disasters in 2025, whether natural or man-made, there has not occurred as numerous fatalities as the ones in Sidoarjo," declared a deputy from the emergency management authority during a media briefing.
The overall number includes at least two individuals who were extracted from the rubble but later died in hospital.
Institutional Context and Regulatory Concerns
The facility is a conventional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia, referred to as a pesantren.
Many pesantren operate informally, lacking strong regulation or consistent monitoring. It remains unclear whether the school had proper authorization to undertake additional construction.
Operational Difficulties
Emergency response efforts have faced difficulties due to the way the building collapsed, leaving only narrow voids for emergency personnel to operate within, officials stated previously.
Eyewitness Reports
Those who escaped have recounted their harrowing survival stories with local media.
One teenage survivor described first "hearing the noise of falling rocks", which "intensified and louder".
The adolescent immediately ran for the exit, and while he successfully got out, he was wounded by falling debris from the ceiling.
