The death toll from the collapse of a school in Indonesia has risen to 54, authorities reported, while rescuers continue their search for more than a dozen people who remain unaccounted for.
Hundreds of students, primarily teenage boys, had gathered for prayers at the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in East Java when the structure collapsed on Monday during ongoing construction work.
The disaster is noted as the deadliest in Indonesia this year, as emergency responders anticipate concluding their search for 13 additional victims trapped under the rubble by the end of the day.
The cause of the collapse is still under investigation. Preliminary assessments from officials suggest that the building's foundation may have been unstable, leading to its failure.
Out of all the disasters in 2025, natural or not, there hasn't been as many dead victims as the ones in Sidoarjo, stated Budi Irawan, a representative of the disaster mitigation agency, during a recent press briefing.
The casualty count includes at least two individuals who were rescued from the wreckage but later succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
Al Khoziny is a traditional Islamic boarding school, known locally as a pesantren, which often operates without stringent regulations or thorough oversight. It remains unclear whether the school had secured the necessary permits for structural renovations.
Rescue efforts have faced significant challenges due to the nature of the building's collapse, which left narrow gaps for rescuers to access the trapped individuals. Survivors have recounted harrowing escape stories to the media.
Muhammad Rijalul Qoib, a 13-year-old student, described how he first heard the ominous sounds of falling debris, which quickly intensified. He managed to flee the premises but was injured by falling rubble as he exited.
