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THE number of students confirmed dead in the collapse of an Islamic boarding school in Indonesia has risen sharply to 36, up from 16 the previous day, according to the country’s disaster mitigation agency.
Reuters reported on Sunday that rescue operations entered their seventh day on Sunday, with authorities continuing to search for 27 students still missing and feared trapped beneath the debris. Most of the victims are believed to be teenage boys aged between 13 and 19.
The building, part of the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school – or pesantren – in Sidoarjo, East Java, gave way last Monday during afternoon prayers. The collapse occurred as structural foundations failed to support ongoing construction on the building’s upper floors, the agency said.
Cranes and other heavy machinery have since been deployed, with the agency reporting that around 60 per cent of the debris had been cleared. It expects the recovery operation to be completed by Monday.
“On Friday, following days without detecting signs of life, we received permission from parents to utilise heavy equipment,” said a spokesperson for the disaster mitigation agency.
Rescue teams had previously attempted manual efforts, digging through tunnels in the collapsed structure, calling out students’ names and deploying sensors to detect movement – but found no response.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over building safety standards at religious boarding schools across Indonesia, many of which operate with limited oversight and are undergoing rapid expansion. - October 5, 2025