By Agency Reports
At least 63:people have been confirmed dead and 13 others remain missing after the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, collapsed during afternoon prayers on Sunday, October 5.
According to local authorities, the tragedy occurred as students and teachers gathered in the ground-floor prayer hall. Preliminary investigations indicate that the building was undergoing unauthorized construction, with two additional stories being added to the original two-story structure. Experts believe that the weight of freshly poured concrete may have caused the structural failure.
National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Operations Director Yudhi Bramantyo confirmed that 54 bodies, including five body parts, have been recovered, while 49 victims have been formally identified. Rescuers are continuing operations around the clock, focusing on sections where survivors may still be trapped beneath the rubble.
Heavy machinery was brought in after the critical 72-hour “golden period” for rescue passed, with the consent of victims’ families. Bramantyo emphasized the urgency of completing recovery operations and returning the deceased to their loved ones.
Authorities have opened an investigation into possible negligence and construction violations. The incident is Indonesia’s deadliest building collapse so far this year, raising renewed concerns about lax enforcement of building standards.
Just last month, a similar collapse during a prayer recital in West Java claimed three lives, underscoring ongoing safety challenges in the country’s construction sector.