Catastrophe Deepens as Indonesia School Collapse Death Toll Rises to 54
Media Source
The death count from the structural failure of an educational facility in Indonesia has escalated to 54, according to authorities, with rescue teams continuing their search for over twelve unaccounted persons.
Hundreds pupils, mostly teenage boys, had assembled for religious services at the Islamic boarding school in Eastern Java when the building gave way while undergoing construction.
Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency describes this as the country's deadliest disaster this year. Emergency workers are anticipated to conclude their rescue mission for thirteen individuals ensnared under debris by evening.
Probe Ongoing into Structural Failure
Authorities are continuing to probe the reason behind the collapse. Some officials indicated the two-storey building caved in due to an unstable foundation.
"Out of all the catastrophes in 2025, natural or not, there hasn't been as numerous fatalities as the incident in Sidoarjo," declared a representative from the emergency management authority during a press conference.
The overall number includes at least two people who were extracted from the rubble but later died in medical care.
Institutional Context and Regulatory Concerns
The institution is a conventional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia, referred to as a pesantren.
Numerous pesantren function informally, without comprehensive oversight or consistent monitoring. It remains unclear whether the school had necessary permits to undertake building modifications.
Operational Difficulties
Search and rescue operations have faced difficulties due to the manner the building collapsed, leaving only tight spaces for rescuers to operate within, authorities stated last week.
Eyewitness Reports
Those who escaped have shared their harrowing survival stories with regional news outlets.
One teenage survivor described first "hearing the noise of collapsing materials", which "grew louder and more intense".
The adolescent quickly rushed for the doorway, and while he managed to escape, he was injured by collapsing materials from the ceiling.
