The death toll from last week’s collapse of a school in Indonesia has risen to at least 50, as rescuers have cleared nearly all the debris, authorities said on Monday, marking the country’s deadliest disaster of the year.
The tragedy occurred when piles of concrete caved in on hundreds of mostly teenage boys at the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java province. The collapse trapped and killed many students.
Rescue teams, using excavators, had cleared about 80% of the debris by late Sunday and discovered more bodies and body parts, according to the national disaster mitigation agency.
Budi Irawan, a deputy at the agency, said that 50 deaths have been confirmed so far, and rescuers are expected to complete their search for 13 missing victims by the end of Monday.
“This is the highest death toll from a single building incident this year,” Irawan told reporters. “Among all disasters in 2025, whether natural or man-made, none has claimed as many lives as the one in Sidoarjo.”
At the same briefing, search and rescue official Yudhi Bramantyo said five additional body parts were found, suggesting the toll could be at least 54.
Rescuers continue to comb through the rubble, with footage showing teams carrying orange body bags from the collapsed structure.
Authorities said the collapse was caused by ongoing construction on the upper floors, which the school’s foundation was not strong enough to support.
Indonesia has about 42,000 Islamic boarding schools, or pesantren, according to the Religious Affairs Ministry. However, only 50 of them have proper building permits, Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo said on Sunday.
It remains unclear whether Al Khoziny had a valid permit. Reuters was unable to reach school officials for comment.
