Tragedy Worsens as Indonesia School Collapse Fatalities Rises to 54
Media Source
The death count from the structural failure of an Indonesian school has climbed to 54, according to authorities, with emergency responders still looking for more than a dozen missing individuals.
Numerous pupils, primarily teenage boys, had assembled for religious services at the religious educational institution in East Java when the structure collapsed while undergoing construction.
Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency characterizes this as the nation's most fatal disaster this year. Rescue personnel are expected to complete their rescue mission for 13 victims ensnared under debris by day's end.
Probe Ongoing into Collapse Cause
Authorities are still examining the reason behind the collapse. Certain authorities suggested the two-storey building caved in due to an unstable foundation.
"Among all the disasters in 2025, whether natural or man-made, there hasn't been as numerous fatalities as the ones in Sidoarjo," declared a representative from the emergency management authority during a media briefing.
The total count encompasses at least two individuals who were rescued from the debris but later died in hospital.
School Background and Regulatory Concerns
The facility is a conventional religious educational center in Indonesia, referred to as a pesantren.
Numerous Islamic schools operate without formal oversight, lacking comprehensive oversight or regular inspections. It remains unclear whether the school had proper authorization to conduct building modifications.
Operational Difficulties
Search and rescue operations have faced difficulties due to the manner the building collapsed, leaving only narrow voids for rescuers to operate within, officials stated previously.
Survivor Accounts
Survivors have shared their harrowing escape experiences with regional news outlets.
One 13-year-old eyewitness recalled first "noticing the sound of falling rocks", which "intensified and more intense".
The young person immediately ran for the exit, and while he managed to escape, he was injured by falling debris from the ceiling.
