Catastrophe Deepens as Indonesia Educational Institution Collapse Fatalities Rises 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 emergency responders continuing their search for over twelve unaccounted persons.
Numerous pupils, mostly teenage boys, had assembled for religious services at the religious educational institution in Eastern Java when the building collapsed while undergoing construction.
Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency describes this as the country's most fatal disaster in 2025. Emergency workers are anticipated to complete their rescue mission for 13 victims trapped beneath the rubble by evening.
Probe Ongoing into Collapse Cause
Investigators are still examining the reason behind the collapse. Certain authorities indicated the two-level structure caved in due to an inadequate base.
"Among all the disasters in 2025, natural or not, there hasn't been as many dead victims as the ones in Sidoarjo," declared a deputy from the disaster mitigation agency during a press conference.
The overall number encompasses at least two individuals who were extracted from the debris but subsequently died in medical care.
School Background and Regulatory Concerns
The facility is a conventional religious educational center in Indonesia, commonly known as a pesantren.
Numerous Islamic schools function informally, without comprehensive oversight or regular inspections. It remains unclear whether the school had necessary permits to undertake additional construction.
Rescue Challenges
Emergency response efforts have proven challenging due to the manner the building collapsed, creating narrow voids for rescuers to maneuver within, authorities stated previously.
Eyewitness Reports
Survivors have recounted their harrowing survival stories with local media.
One teenage eyewitness described first "noticing the noise of collapsing materials", which "intensified and more intense".
The young person immediately ran for the doorway, and while he managed to escape, he was injured by collapsing materials from the ceiling.
