Catastrophe Worsens as Indonesia Educational Institution Collapse Fatalities Increases to 54
Media Source
The number of fatalities from the structural failure of an Indonesian school has climbed to 54, according to authorities, with emergency responders continuing their search for more than a dozen unaccounted persons.
Hundreds students, primarily teenage boys, had assembled for prayers at the religious educational institution in East Java when the building gave way while being renovated.
Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency describes this as the nation's most fatal catastrophe this year. Rescue personnel are expected to conclude their rescue mission for 13 victims ensnared under debris by evening.
Investigation Underway into Collapse Cause
Investigators are continuing to probe the cause behind the collapse. 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 hasn't been as many dead victims as the ones in Sidoarjo," stated a deputy from the disaster mitigation agency during a press conference.
The overall number encompasses at least two individuals who were extracted from the rubble but later died in medical care.
School Background and Oversight Issues
The facility is a conventional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia, commonly known as a pesantren.
Many Islamic schools function without formal oversight, lacking comprehensive oversight or consistent monitoring. It remains uncertain whether the institution had proper authorization to undertake additional construction.
Operational Difficulties
Emergency response efforts have faced difficulties due to the way the structure collapsed, creating tight spaces for rescuers to operate within, authorities stated last week.
Survivor Accounts
Those who escaped have shared their harrowing survival stories with local media.
One 13-year-old eyewitness described first "noticing the sound of collapsing materials", which "intensified and louder".
The adolescent quickly rushed for the exit, and while he successfully got out, he was injured by collapsing materials from the ceiling.
