Tragedy Worsens as Indonesia Educational Institution Collapse Fatalities Rises to 54
News Agency
The death count from the structural failure 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.
Hundreds pupils, primarily adolescent males, had assembled for religious services at the religious educational institution in Eastern Java when the structure gave way while being renovated.
Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency characterizes this as the nation's deadliest disaster in 2025. Emergency workers are expected to complete their search operation for 13 victims trapped beneath the rubble by evening.
Probe Ongoing into Collapse Cause
Authorities are still examining the reason behind the structural failure. Some officials indicated the two-level structure collapsed due to an unstable foundation.
"Among all the disasters in 2025, whether natural or man-made, there hasn't been as many dead victims as the ones in Sidoarjo," declared a deputy from the disaster mitigation agency during a press conference.
The total count encompasses at least two individuals who were extracted from the rubble but later died in medical care.
School Background and Regulatory Concerns
The institution is a traditional religious educational center in Indonesia, referred to as a pesantren.
Many Islamic schools operate without formal oversight, without strong regulation or consistent monitoring. It remains unclear whether the institution had necessary permits to conduct building modifications.
Rescue Challenges
Search and rescue operations have faced difficulties due to the manner the structure fell, leaving only narrow voids for emergency personnel to operate within, authorities stated last week.
Survivor Accounts
Survivors have recounted their harrowing survival stories with regional news outlets.
One teenage eyewitness recalled first "hearing the sound of falling rocks", which "intensified and louder".
The young person quickly rushed for the doorway, and while he successfully got out, he was wounded by falling debris from the roof.
