Tragedy Worsens as Indonesia School Collapse Fatalities Increases to 54
Media Source
The number of fatalities from the structural failure of an Indonesian school has climbed to 54, as confirmed by officials, with emergency responders still looking for more than a dozen missing individuals.
Numerous students, primarily adolescent males, had gathered for prayers at the Islamic boarding school in East Java when the structure collapsed while being renovated.
Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency describes this as the nation's deadliest catastrophe in 2025. Emergency workers are anticipated to complete their rescue mission for thirteen individuals ensnared under debris by evening.
Investigation Underway into Structural Failure
Authorities are still examining the reason behind the structural failure. Some officials suggested the two-storey building collapsed due to an unstable foundation.
"Among all the catastrophes 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 media briefing.
The total count includes at least two people who were extracted from the rubble but later died in hospital.
School Background and Regulatory Concerns
The institution is a conventional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia, commonly known as a pesantren.
Numerous pesantren operate without formal oversight, lacking comprehensive oversight or consistent monitoring. It remains unclear whether the institution had necessary permits to undertake additional construction.
Rescue Challenges
Emergency response efforts have faced difficulties due to the way the building fell, creating tight spaces for emergency personnel to operate within, authorities reported previously.
Eyewitness Reports
Those who escaped have shared their harrowing survival stories with local media.
One teenage eyewitness recalled first "hearing the noise of collapsing materials", which "grew louder and more intense".
The adolescent quickly rushed for the exit, and while he managed to escape, he was wounded by falling debris from the roof.
