Catastrophe Worsens as Indonesia Educational Institution Collapse Fatalities Rises to 54

News Agency

The death count from the collapse of an educational facility in Indonesia has escalated to 54, as confirmed by officials, with emergency responders continuing their search for more than a dozen missing individuals.

Numerous pupils, mostly teenage boys, had gathered for religious services at the Islamic boarding school in East Java when the building gave way while undergoing construction.

The country's emergency management authority characterizes this as the nation's most fatal catastrophe this year. Emergency workers are expected to complete their search operation for 13 victims ensnared under debris by evening.

Probe Ongoing into Collapse Cause

Authorities are still examining the reason behind the structural failure. Certain authorities indicated the two-storey building caved in due to an unstable foundation.

"Out of all the catastrophes in 2025, natural or not, there has not occurred as numerous fatalities as the ones 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 subsequently died in hospital.

School Background and Regulatory Concerns

The facility is a conventional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia, commonly known as a pesantren.

Numerous Islamic schools function informally, without strong regulation or regular inspections. It remains uncertain whether the institution had necessary permits to undertake building modifications.

Operational Difficulties

Search and rescue operations have faced difficulties due to the manner the structure fell, creating narrow voids for emergency personnel to operate within, authorities reported last week.

Eyewitness Reports

Survivors have shared their harrowing escape experiences with regional news outlets.

One 13-year-old eyewitness described first "noticing the noise of falling rocks", which "grew louder and more intense".

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