At least 50 people have been confirmed dead following the catastrophic collapse of Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, marking Indonesia’s deadliest disaster of 2025. Rescue teams have cleared nearly 80% of the debris, uncovering dozens of bodies and body parts, with at least 13 more people still believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
Most of the victims were teenage students studying at the religious institution when the building suddenly gave way last week. Authorities said the collapse occurred due to unauthorized construction work on the upper floors, which the building’s weak foundation could not support.
“This is the biggest loss of life this year from a single building collapse,” said Budi Irawan, deputy chief of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). He confirmed that the search and recovery operation would conclude by the end of Monday.
Rescue footage shared by emergency services showed workers carrying orange body bags out of the wreckage as distraught families waited nearby. Yudhi Bramantyo, from the search and rescue agency, reported that several body parts were found, raising the likely toll to at least 54.
The tragedy has sparked nationwide outrage over lax building safety regulations. According to Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, the country has around 42,000 Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) — but shockingly, only 50 of them have official building permits, a revelation confirmed by Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo.
Authorities have yet to confirm whether Al Khoziny had a valid construction permit, and school officials have not commented publicly.
As rescue efforts near completion, the government faces mounting pressure to tighten safety enforcement and review construction standards across thousands of religious schools nationwide to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
