Tragedy Worsens as Indonesian Educational Institution Structural Failure Fatalities Increases to 54

Media Source

The death count from the collapse of an educational facility in Indonesia has escalated to 54, according to authorities, with rescue teams continuing their search for more than a dozen missing individuals.

Hundreds pupils, mostly teenage boys, had assembled for religious services at the religious educational institution in East Java when the structure collapsed while undergoing construction.

The country's emergency management authority characterizes this as the nation's deadliest catastrophe in 2025. Rescue personnel are anticipated to conclude their search operation for thirteen individuals ensnared beneath the rubble by day's end.

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 unstable foundation.

"Out of all the disasters in 2025, whether natural or man-made, 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 includes at least two individuals who were extracted from the rubble but later died in hospital.

School Background and Oversight Issues

The institution is a conventional religious educational center in Indonesia, referred to as a pesantren.

Numerous pesantren function without formal oversight, without strong regulation or consistent monitoring. It remains unclear whether the school had proper authorization to undertake building modifications.

Operational Difficulties

Search and rescue operations have faced difficulties due to the way the structure fell, leaving only narrow voids for emergency personnel to maneuver within, officials stated last week.

Eyewitness Reports

Those who escaped have recounted their harrowing survival stories with regional news outlets.

One 13-year-old eyewitness described first "noticing the noise of collapsing materials", which "grew louder and louder".

The adolescent immediately ran for the exit, and while he successfully got out, he was injured by collapsing materials from the ceiling.