Sidoarjo School Collapse: 54 Confirmed Dead So Far, Rescue Efforts Face Daunting Challenges

A Race Against Time Beneath the Rubble

It has been a week since the Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, East Java crumbled during afternoon prayers on 29 September — yet the search for missing students continues.

What began as a desperate rescue has now turned into a grim recovery mission, as workers sift through mounds of debris in what has become Indonesia’s deadliest building collapse of 2025.

The evacuation has proven slow and time-consuming. According to a report, rescuers face a labyrinth of collapsed concrete and narrow corridors within the three-storey structure. Many parts of the building caved inwards, creating unstable voids that make entry risky.

The heavy debris and confined spaces have forced rescuers to dig by hand in several areas.

Rescue teams also struggled with limited visibility, continuous aftershifts in the rubble, and the sheer number of victims believed to be trapped beneath. At one point, authorities feared that removing debris too quickly could trigger secondary collapses, endangering those still inside.

The Day That Shattered a Community

On Monday, 29 September, nearly 140 students had gathered in the school’s prayer hall when the upper floors gave way. Witnesses recalled a deafening crash followed by cries for help. In the hours that followed, hundreds of rescuers — including military personnel, firefighters, and volunteers — rushed to the site, pulling survivors from the wreckage.

By Friday (3 October), 104 students had been rescued. But the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) confirmed that seven were dead and 56 remained unaccounted for. “No more signs of life were detected,” one official told reporters, after thermal drones failed to pick up heat signatures under the rubble.

Relatives who had waited days for news collapsed to the ground in grief as the update came through.

“No Signs of Life”: A Grieving Nation Watches

As the days passed, hopes faded. The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) later raised the official death toll to 54 today, with more than a dozen still missing.

“We have retrieved 54 victims, including five body parts,” Basarnas operations director Yudhi Bramantyo said on Monday (6 October), adding that teams hoped to conclude recovery efforts soon.

What Went Wrong at Al-Khoziny

Early investigations point to substandard construction and illegal renovations as the cause. The school, originally approved as a single-storey structure, was expanded to three floors without permits, according to reports.

Despite ongoing renovation work, the ground floor remained in use, housing daily activities and prayers. Local authorities now face public pressure to explain how such a large-scale modification was allowed to proceed unchecked.

This incident mirrors a larger problem in Indonesia: weak enforcement of building codes. Experts have long warned that poor construction practices and corruption in permit issuance create disasters waiting to happen.

Prabowo Orders Nationwide Safety Audit

Responding to the tragedy, President Prabowo Subianto held a limited cabinet meeting on Sunday (5 October) at his Jakarta residence. He ordered a nationwide safety audit of all Islamic boarding schools (pesantren), instructing Coordinating Minister Muhaimin Iskandar to inspect structural integrity and enforce renovation standards.

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“The President has called for a thorough evaluation of all pesantren buildings, with a focus on safety and security,” said Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. The order also directs regional governors and education officials to assist in inspections and renovations.

State Secretariat Minister Prasetyo Hadi added that Prabowo is “closely monitoring” developments in Sidoarjo and has urged local authorities to prioritise student safety in all learning institutions.

Lessons From a Collapse

As the rubble clears, the tragedy has reignited debate about infrastructure safety at religious schools across Indonesia. Many pesantren operate independently, often relying on donations, and lack technical oversight during construction.

Experts and officials have highlighted the need for stricter supervision of building construction at Islamic boarding schools. The Ministry of Religious Affairs has pledged to evaluate the structural safety of all pesantren and places of worship to prevent similar tragedies.

Authorities emphasized ensuring compliance with government building regulations, conducting mandatory inspections for new construction or renovations, and providing guidance to schools to improve structural safety.

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