Tragedy Worsens as Indonesia Educational Institution Collapse Death Toll Increases to 54
News Agency
The number of fatalities from the collapse of an educational facility in Indonesia has escalated to 54, as confirmed by officials, with rescue teams continuing their search for more than a dozen unaccounted persons.
Numerous students, primarily teenage boys, had assembled for prayers at the Islamic boarding school in Eastern Java when the structure collapsed while being renovated.
Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency characterizes this as the nation's deadliest catastrophe this year. Emergency workers are expected to complete their search operation for 13 victims ensnared beneath the rubble by evening.
Probe Ongoing into Collapse Cause
Authorities are still examining the reason behind the structural failure. Some officials suggested the two-level structure collapsed due to an inadequate base.
"Among all the disasters in 2025, natural or not, there hasn't been as many dead victims as the ones in Sidoarjo," declared a representative from the emergency management authority during a press conference.
The total count encompasses at least two individuals who were extracted from the debris but later succumbed in medical care.
School Background and Regulatory Concerns
The facility is a traditional religious educational center in Indonesia, commonly known as a pesantren.
Many pesantren function informally, without comprehensive oversight or consistent monitoring. It remains unclear whether the school had proper authorization to conduct additional construction.
Operational Difficulties
Emergency response efforts have faced difficulties due to the manner the structure fell, creating narrow voids for emergency personnel to operate within, authorities reported previously.
Survivor Accounts
Those who escaped have recounted their harrowing survival stories with regional news outlets.
One teenage survivor described first "hearing the sound of falling rocks", which "intensified and more intense".
The adolescent immediately ran for the exit, and while he successfully got out, he was injured by falling debris from the ceiling.