🔗 Share this article Tragedy Worsens as Indonesia School Collapse Death Toll Rises to 54 Media Source Hundreds teenage boys had gathered for prayers at the religious educational institution in Eastern Java when it collapsed last Monday The death count from the collapse of an educational facility in Indonesia has climbed to 54, according to authorities, with emergency responders still looking for more than a dozen unaccounted persons. Numerous pupils, mostly adolescent males, had gathered for prayers at the Islamic boarding school in Eastern Java when the structure collapsed while being renovated. The country's emergency management authority describes this as the nation's most fatal catastrophe in 2025. Rescue personnel are expected to conclude their rescue mission for 13 victims ensnared under debris by day's end. Investigation Underway into Collapse Cause Investigators are continuing to probe the reason behind the collapse. Some officials suggested the two-storey building caved in due to an unstable foundation. "Out of all the catastrophes in 2025, whether natural or man-made, there hasn't been as numerous fatalities as the ones in Sidoarjo," declared a representative from the emergency management authority during a press conference. The overall number encompasses at least two individuals who were extracted from the rubble but later succumbed in hospital. Institutional Context and Regulatory Concerns The facility is a conventional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia, referred to as a pesantren. Numerous pesantren operate informally, without comprehensive oversight or consistent monitoring. It remains uncertain whether the school had necessary permits to undertake additional construction. Rescue Challenges Search and rescue operations have proven challenging due to the way the structure collapsed, creating tight spaces for rescuers to operate within, authorities reported previously. Eyewitness Reports Those who escaped have recounted their harrowing escape experiences with local media. One 13-year-old eyewitness described first "hearing the noise of falling rocks", which "intensified and louder". The young person immediately ran for the exit, and while he managed to escape, he was wounded by falling debris from the roof.