Indonesia school collapse: three fatalities and dozens injured

On Monday, a tragic incident occurred at Sidoarjo, East Java, when a building at Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school collapsed, leaving at least three student dead and dozens more injured. Rescue workers spent the night digging through the debris, managing to save several students who had been trapped for more than 12 hours. Officials said oxygen and water were being channeled to those still buried, though rescuers feared the number of victims could increase after spotting more bodies under the rubble.

The collapse occurred during afternoon prayers, plunging families into despair as they gathered at hospitals and near the disaster site in search of news about their children. By Tuesday morning, a notice board at the school listed 65 students—mostly boys between 12 and 17 years old—as missing. Parents wept and pleaded with rescuers to bring their children out alive, while survivors recalled that female students, who were praying in a different part of the building, managed to escape unhurt.

Authorities later confirmed that the building gave way while undergoing an unauthorised expansion. The original two-storey prayer hall was being extended by two additional floors, but its foundation could not withstand the extra weight of poured concrete. According to provincial police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast, this structural weakness led to the collapse. In total, more than 100 students were caught in the incident, with 99 injured—some critically—and one confirmed dead. Hundreds of rescuers remain on-site, working with medical and extraction tools, as investigators continue to probe the construction failure.