Tragedy Deepens as Indonesian Educational Institution Structural Failure Fatalities Increases to 54
News Agency
The death count from the structural failure of an educational facility in Indonesia has escalated to 54, as confirmed by officials, with rescue teams still looking for over twelve missing individuals.
Hundreds students, mostly teenage boys, had assembled for prayers at the religious educational institution in Eastern Java when the structure gave way while being renovated.
The country's emergency management authority describes this as the country's deadliest catastrophe this year. Rescue personnel are expected to complete their search operation for thirteen individuals ensnared under debris by evening.
Investigation Ongoing into Structural Failure
Investigators are still examining the cause behind the collapse. Some officials indicated the two-level structure collapsed due to an unstable foundation.
"Out of all the disasters in 2025, whether natural or man-made, there hasn't been as many dead victims as the incident in Sidoarjo," declared a representative from the emergency management authority during a press conference.
The total count encompasses at least two individuals who were rescued from the debris but subsequently succumbed in hospital.
School Background and Oversight Issues
The facility is a conventional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia, referred to as a pesantren.
Numerous Islamic schools operate without formal oversight, lacking comprehensive oversight or regular inspections. It remains uncertain whether the institution had proper authorization to undertake additional construction.
Operational Difficulties
Search and rescue operations have faced difficulties due to the way the structure fell, creating narrow voids for rescuers to operate within, authorities stated last week.
Eyewitness Reports
Those who escaped have shared their terrifying survival stories with regional news outlets.
One 13-year-old eyewitness described first "noticing the sound of collapsing materials", which "intensified and more intense".
The young person quickly rushed for the doorway, and while he managed to escape, he was injured by falling debris from the roof.
