The death toll from the collapse of an Islamic boarding school in Indonesia has risen to 54, authorities confirmed, as rescue teams continue the desperate search for more than a dozen people still missing beneath the rubble.
Hundreds of students — most of them teenage boys — had gathered for morning prayers at the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, East Java, when the two-storey building suddenly gave way last Monday. The tragedy struck while the school was undergoing construction work.
According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the incident is now Indonesia’s deadliest disaster of 2025. Officials say rescue operations are expected to conclude by the end of the day, with teams still trying to reach at least 13 victims believed to be trapped.
Investigators are probing the cause of the collapse, though early reports suggest the building’s foundation may have been unstable.
“Out of all the disasters we’ve recorded this year — natural or otherwise — none has claimed as many lives as the tragedy in Sidoarjo,” said Budi Irawan, a deputy at the disaster mitigation agency, during a press briefing.
Authorities confirmed that the death toll includes two victims who were rescued alive but later died in hospital.
The Al Khoziny pesantren, as traditional Islamic boarding schools are known in Indonesia, is one of thousands operating across the country. Many such institutions function without strict government oversight or formal construction permits, and it remains unclear whether the school had authorization for its expansion.
Rescue workers have faced immense challenges due to the structure’s collapse pattern, which created narrow, unstable voids that made it difficult to reach survivors.
“The way the building pancaked made access extremely dangerous,” one official said last week.
Survivors have described terrifying scenes as the building crumbled around them.
Muhammad Rijalul Qoib, 13, told local outlet Detik News that he first heard “the sound of falling rocks” that grew “louder and louder” before the entire roof began to cave in.
“I ran for the door as fast as I could,” he recalled. “I made it out, but part of the roof hit me — I was lucky to survive.”
Authorities have promised a full investigation into the disaster, as grieving families await news of loved ones still unaccounted for.
About the Author
