Tragedy Worsens as Indonesian School Structural Failure Fatalities Rises to 54

Media Source

The number of fatalities from the collapse of an educational facility in Indonesia has escalated to 54, according to authorities, with emergency responders still looking for more than a dozen unaccounted persons.

Hundreds pupils, mostly adolescent males, had gathered for prayers at the Islamic boarding school in Eastern Java when the structure collapsed while undergoing construction.

Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency characterizes this as the country's most fatal catastrophe in 2025. Rescue personnel are anticipated to complete their rescue mission for thirteen individuals ensnared beneath the rubble by evening.

Investigation Underway into Collapse Cause

Authorities are continuing to probe the reason behind the collapse. Some officials suggested the two-storey building caved in due to an unstable foundation.

"Out of all the disasters in 2025, natural or not, there hasn't been as numerous fatalities as the ones in Sidoarjo," declared a representative from the disaster mitigation agency during a media briefing.

The overall number encompasses at least two people who were extracted from the debris but subsequently died in hospital.

School Background and Oversight Issues

The institution is a conventional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia, referred to as a pesantren.

Many pesantren function without formal oversight, without strong regulation or consistent monitoring. It remains unclear whether the institution had necessary permits to conduct building modifications.

Operational Difficulties

Emergency response efforts have proven challenging due to the way the structure fell, creating tight spaces for emergency personnel to operate within, authorities stated previously.

Survivor Accounts

Survivors have recounted their harrowing survival stories with regional news outlets.

One 13-year-old survivor described first "noticing the noise of falling rocks", which "intensified and louder".

The adolescent immediately ran for the exit, and while he successfully got out, he was injured by collapsing materials from the ceiling.