Tragedy Strikes as Indonesian School Collapse Claims Lives

Tue Oct 21 2025 22:56:20 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A devastating school collapse in East Java has left three dead and dozens more trapped, igniting urgent rescue efforts amid growing concern for the safety of missing students.

Rescue operations continue in East Java, Indonesia, following the collapse of the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School, which resulted in three fatalities and left many injured. The school was under construction when it collapsed during prayers, causing widespread panic. Authorities face challenges in the rescue due to the building's unstable structure, raising concerns over the potential for further accidents. Survivors recount harrowing experiences amidst the unfolding tragedy.

Rescuers are racing to pull dozens of students and workers from under the rubble of a school building that collapsed in East Java, Indonesia.

Three people have been killed and 99 others hospitalized, some of them with critical injuries, officials said Tuesday, adding that the death toll may rise.

At least 38 others, many of them teenage boys, remain trapped under the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in the East Java town of Sidoarjo. They had gathered for prayers when the building gave way on Monday.

The two-storey building had an unstable foundation and could not support the weight of the construction of two more floors, the disaster mitigation agency said.

The girls praying in another part of the building managed to escape, according to the Associated Press. Students in the school are between the ages of 12 and 17.

Footage on local media shows the collapsed part of the building completely sunken in, with large slabs of concrete sticking out.

Crying and shouting can be heard from the rubble, authorities said, while anxious relatives have camped out at the school overnight awaiting news of their loved ones.

Dozens of rescuers have been searching overnight for survivors, but the rescue was temporarily suspended on Tuesday, with authorities saying the building is at risk of further collapse.

The collapsed building has taken on a 'pancake type' structure with layers of concrete slabs leaving only narrow voids, creating unstable conditions and the possibility of survivors still trapped, said Mohammad Syafeii, head of the search and rescue agency Basarnas.

His agency is preparing for a 'specialized operation' and has deployed units from around the region equipped with special extrication tools.

Mr. Syafeii emphasized the dilemma of using heavy equipment like cranes and excavators; while they can aid in lifting concrete slabs and providing access, doing so could also endanger lives still beneath the rubble.

Teenage survivors have shared their harrowing escapes, with accounts of falling debris and a frantic rush to safety after hearing ominous sounds. Many are now awaiting news of friends, some still trapped.

Concerns have been raised regarding the management of the school, as the town's regent claimed they had not obtained proper permits for the building's expansion. Al Khoziny is a traditional Islamic boarding school known as a pesantren, which focuses on Islamic studies alongside a general education.

This tragic event also highlights the broader issues of safety regulations in Indonesia's construction sector, known for its poor safety record, exacerbated by informal operations of many religious educational institutions.