On September 29, 2025, a structure at an Islamic boarding school in East Java, Indonesia, gave way during afternoon prayers, leaving many people trapped beneath the rubble.
The death toll has climbed to 54 as more bodies were recovered. At least 13 students remain missing, though reports vary slightly. Additionally, 102 were confirmed injured.
Rescuers found 35 bodies over the weekend, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
The Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo fell around 3 p.m., coinciding with students gathering for afternoon prayers.
Officials reported that the building’s foundation pillars failed while crews were concreting the fourth floor. The collapse led to an extensive search and rescue mission, involving several agencies, to locate those trapped.
Rescue teams continued their efforts to locate people who might still be trapped beneath the rubble. Emergency crews focused on inspecting the site, keeping a close watch on the stability of the remaining structure, and organizing evacuation pathways.
The disaster management agency shared updates through social media, stressing the importance of site inspections and structural checks to ensure safety during the search for survivors.
After being buried under debris for several days, a 13-year-old boy named Haikal was successfully rescued.
This incident is the second of its kind in Indonesia this month. Earlier, on September 3, a community center in Bogor district, West Java, collapsed while a Quran reading was in progress, resulting in at least three fatalities and numerous injuries.
The disaster management authority has highlighted the necessity of more stringent construction safety regulations. Government representatives have appealed to the public and those in charge of buildings to guarantee appropriate technical oversight during building projects to avert similar occurrences in the future.
The collapsed school, located in Sidoarjo, East Java, housed students attending religious and academic classes for boys ages 12-19, typical of Indonesia’s Islamic boarding schools.
Medical personnel established several triage areas to treat those who were hurt. The survivors were transported to local hospitals with injuries, but the extent of those injuries has not been released.
Indonesia’s search and rescue agency initially stated that around 100 students were caught in the collapse. Later reports verified that 102 individuals were involved.
Rescue personnel worked tirelessly, managing the complicated wreckage. The collapsed four-story building required careful removal of steel and concrete to avoid additional instability.
Because the collapse happened during afternoon prayers, many students were in communal areas. This information helped direct rescue teams to focus on these areas where they were most likely to find survivors.
Indonesian officials have launched an investigation into the cause of the collapse, focusing on construction standards and procedures used during the building’s construction and the addition of the fourth floor. Their goal is to assess whether the engineering supervision was sufficient during the concrete work. Police said two levels were added to the school without a permit.
With search operations finding no additional signs of life, teams began using heavy equipment, shifting their attention to recovery operations.
As of October 6 2025, verified toll: 54 dead, 13 missing, 97 injured, with six still hospitalized.