Catastrophe Worsens as Indonesian School Structural Failure Death Toll Increases to 54
News Agency
The death count from the collapse of an Indonesian school has climbed to 54, as confirmed by officials, with emergency responders continuing their search for more than a dozen missing individuals.
Numerous students, primarily teenage boys, had assembled for prayers at the religious educational institution in East Java when the building collapsed while being renovated.
The country's emergency management authority describes this as the nation's deadliest catastrophe this year. Rescue personnel are expected to conclude their rescue mission for 13 victims ensnared beneath the rubble by evening.
Investigation Ongoing into Collapse Cause
Authorities are still examining the cause behind the structural failure. Certain authorities indicated the two-storey building caved in due to an unstable foundation.
"Among all the disasters in 2025, natural or not, there has not occurred as numerous fatalities as the ones in Sidoarjo," declared a deputy from the disaster mitigation agency during a press conference.
The total count encompasses at least two people who were extracted from the debris but later died in medical care.
School Background and Regulatory Concerns
The institution is a conventional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia, commonly known as a pesantren.
Many pesantren operate informally, without strong regulation or regular inspections. It remains unclear whether the institution had proper authorization to undertake additional construction.
Rescue Challenges
Search and rescue operations have proven challenging due to the way the structure collapsed, leaving only narrow voids for rescuers to operate within, officials reported last week.
Eyewitness Reports
Those who escaped have shared their terrifying escape experiences with local media.
One 13-year-old eyewitness described first "noticing the sound of collapsing materials", which "grew louder and more intense".
The adolescent immediately ran for the exit, and while he successfully got out, he was injured by collapsing materials from the ceiling.