Tragedy Worsens as Indonesian Educational Institution Structural Failure Death Toll Increases to 54
Media Source
The death count from the collapse of an Indonesian school has climbed to 54, as confirmed by officials, with emergency responders still looking for more than a dozen missing individuals.
Hundreds pupils, primarily teenage boys, had gathered for religious services at the religious educational institution in Eastern Java when the structure gave way while being renovated.
Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency describes this as the nation's most fatal catastrophe in 2025. Rescue personnel are anticipated to conclude their search operation for 13 victims ensnared under debris by evening.
Probe Ongoing into Collapse Cause
Authorities are continuing to probe the reason behind the structural failure. Some officials indicated the two-storey building caved in due to an unstable foundation.
"Among all the disasters in 2025, whether natural or man-made, there has not occurred as many dead victims as the ones in Sidoarjo," stated a deputy from the disaster mitigation agency during a media briefing.
The overall number encompasses at least two people who were extracted from the rubble but subsequently succumbed in medical care.
School Background and Regulatory Concerns
The facility is a traditional religious educational center in Indonesia, referred to as a pesantren.
Many Islamic schools function without formal oversight, lacking strong regulation or consistent monitoring. It remains unclear whether the school had proper authorization to undertake building modifications.
Operational Difficulties
Search and rescue operations have proven challenging due to the way the structure collapsed, creating tight spaces for rescuers to maneuver within, authorities reported last week.
Eyewitness Reports
Survivors have shared their harrowing survival stories with local media.
One 13-year-old eyewitness recalled first "noticing the noise of falling rocks", which "intensified and more intense".
The young person immediately ran for the doorway, and while he managed to escape, he was wounded by falling debris from the roof.
