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News Agency

The death count from the collapse of an Indonesian school has climbed to 54, as confirmed by officials, with emergency responders continuing their search for more than a dozen missing individuals.

Hundreds pupils, primarily teenage boys, had assembled for prayers at the Islamic boarding school in Eastern Java when the building gave way while being renovated.

The country's emergency management authority characterizes this as the country's most fatal disaster this year. Rescue personnel are expected to conclude their search operation for 13 victims trapped under debris by evening.

Investigation Underway into Collapse Cause

Authorities are still examining the reason behind the collapse. Certain authorities indicated the two-storey building caved in due to an inadequate base.

"Among all the disasters in 2025, natural or not, there has not occurred as numerous fatalities as the incident in Sidoarjo," declared a representative from the disaster mitigation agency during a press conference.

The total count encompasses at least two individuals who were rescued from the rubble but subsequently succumbed in hospital.

Institutional Context and Oversight Issues

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

Many pesantren operate informally, lacking strong regulation or consistent monitoring. It remains unclear whether the school had necessary permits to undertake additional construction.

Rescue Challenges

Search and rescue operations have faced difficulties due to the way the structure collapsed, creating narrow voids for rescuers to operate within, authorities reported previously.

Eyewitness Reports

Survivors have recounted their terrifying survival stories with local media.

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

The adolescent immediately ran for the exit, and while he successfully got out, he was wounded by falling debris from the roof.