Key Highlights
- Death toll from Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School collapse climbs to 54 as of October 6, 2025, making it Indonesia’s deadliest disaster this year
- Construction work on unauthorized upper floors caused the multi-story building to collapse during afternoon prayers on September 29, 2025
- Only 50 of Indonesia’s 42,000 Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) have proper building permits, highlighting widespread regulatory violations
Rescue Operations Intensify as Indonesia School Collapse Becomes Year’s Deadliest Disaster
The Indonesia school collapse at Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, East Java, has claimed 54 lives as rescue teams near the completion of their eight-day recovery operation. The tragedy, which occurred on September 29, 2025, represents the country’s most devastating single-building disaster of the year, with the Indonesia school collapse death toll continuing to climb as rescuers clear debris from the multi-story structure that housed hundreds of students.
National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) operations director Yudhi Bramantyo confirmed that 54 victims have been recovered, including 49 complete bodies and five body parts, while 13 people remain missing in the Indonesia school collapse rubble. The incident occurred during afternoon prayers when part of the building suddenly collapsed, trapping mostly teenage boys aged 13 to 19 who were gathered in the prayer hall.
Initial investigations into the Indonesia school collapse point to substandard construction practices and unauthorized building work as primary factors in the tragedy.
Construction Violations and Regulatory Failures Behind Building Collapse
Authorities have identified unauthorized construction work as the primary cause of the Indonesia school collapse, with investigators revealing that the school was adding two additional floors to the existing two-story structure without proper permits. Construction expert Mudji Irmawan from the Tenth November Institute of Technology explained that the foundation could not support the concrete being poured for the third floor, leading to the total collapse of the entire 800-square-meter structure during the Indonesia school collapse.
- Building expansion proceeded without required construction permits from local authorities
- Foundation inadequate to support additional concrete loads from upper floor construction
- Students were allowed inside the building while construction work was actively ongoing
Subandi, the district chief of Sidoarjo, confirmed that the school management failed to secure necessary permits before beginning construction, stating that “many buildings, including extensions to traditional boarding schools in rural areas, have been constructed without the necessary permits”. According to Indonesia’s Building Construction code established in 2002, violations leading to fatalities can result in up to 15 years imprisonment and fines reaching 8 billion rupiah (approximately $500,000).
The Indonesia school collapse has exposed widespread regulatory violations across the country’s Islamic boarding school network, with Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo revealing that only 50 of Indonesia’s approximately 42,000 pesantren buildings have proper building permits. This statistic highlights the massive scale of unauthorized construction in the Indonesia school collapse aftermath, raising urgent questions about building safety oversight nationwide.
Indonesia still has drawings, construction quality to investigate: On October 5, Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency announced that number of students confirmed dead in collapse of an Islamic boarding school building had increased to 36, a sharp increase from 16 a day earlier. pic.twitter.com/JnOYxgxd8y
— Hung (@HHungduc) October 5, 2025
Emergency Response and Recovery Operations Continue
The Indonesia school collapse triggered one of the year’s largest rescue operations, involving hundreds of personnel from Basarnas, the Indonesian Defense Forces, and National Police working in round-the-clock shifts. Recovery teams initially relied on manual excavation due to concerns that heavy equipment could cause further structural collapse, but families agreed to deploy excavators after the 72-hour “golden period” for survivor rescue ended.
- Over 80 percent of debris cleared by rescue teams as of October 6, 2025
- Search operations focus on the south side of collapsed building where remaining victims are believed trapped
- Heavy machinery deployment approved after no signs of life detected following thorough assessments
Budi Irawan, deputy head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), confirmed that the Indonesia school collapse represents “the biggest number of victims this year from one building,” emphasizing the unprecedented scale of the tragedy. Rescue operations have recovered 104 survivors who were safely evacuated, with 14 initially requiring hospitalization and 89 subsequently discharged.
The complex nature of the Indonesia school collapse recovery has required careful coordination between agencies, as officials noted that vibrations from heavy equipment in one area could affect the stability of remaining structures. Rescuers continue working toward completing the operation by October 6, focusing on areas where mapping results indicate at least four victims remain trapped.
Nationwide Building Safety Crisis Exposed by School Tragedy
The Indonesia school collapse has revealed systemic failures in the country’s construction safety oversight, particularly affecting the Islamic boarding school sector where regulatory compliance remains critically low. Indonesia’s construction industry faces ongoing challenges with building safety standards, despite recent legislative efforts including Law Number 11 of 2020 and Government Regulation Number 16 of 2021 aimed at strengthening safety requirements.
- Construction Safety Management System (SMKK) mandates safety protocols for all construction projects
- Building safety requirements include payload ability, fire hazard prevention, and electrical protection standards
- Administrative and criminal sanctions apply for non-compliance with safety regulations
The Indonesia school collapse tragedy occurs against a backdrop of persistent construction safety issues nationwide, with approximately 30 percent of all workplace injuries in Indonesia occurring in the construction sector. Government Regulation Number 14 of 2021 established the Construction Safety Management System requiring hazard identification, risk assessment, and safety control measures across all construction stages.
Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, who visited the Indonesia school collapse site, called the incident “a wake-up call,” noting that “many schools are built through community initiatives without adequate supervision, which poses serious risks”. The tragedy has prompted President Prabowo Subianto to order a nationwide safety audit of pesantren buildings to prevent similar Indonesia school collapse incidents.
Closing Assessment: Urgent Reform Needed to Prevent Future Tragedies
The Indonesia school collapse at Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School represents more than a single tragic incident, it exposes fundamental weaknesses in Indonesia’s building safety enforcement system that demand immediate reform. With 54 lives lost and only 50 of 42,000 Islamic boarding schools possessing proper building permits, the scale of regulatory non-compliance revealed by this Indonesia school collapse indicates a nationwide crisis requiring comprehensive government intervention.
The Indonesia school collapse investigation’s findings of unauthorized construction, inadequate foundations, and absent safety oversight illustrate how regulatory failures can transform routine building projects into deadly disasters. As rescue operations conclude and the final victims are recovered from the Indonesia school collapse rubble, Indonesia faces the urgent task of implementing and enforcing building safety standards that can prevent similar tragedies across its vast network of educational institutions.
The legacy of the Indonesia school collapse must be measured not only in the lives lost but in the reforms it catalyzes to protect future generations of students from preventable building failures.students from preventable building failures
