Indonesia’s Sidoarjo School Collapse: 40 Students Dead, Dozens Missing

Sidoarjo (Indonesia): Indonesian rescuers continued searching on Sunday for students missing after a prayer hall at an Islamic boarding school collapsed nearly a week ago. Over the weekend, teams recovered 23 bodies, raising the death toll to 40.

Rescue workers, using jackhammers, circular saws, and occasionally their bare hands, sifted through the rubble in a painstaking effort to locate the 26 remaining students. The structure gave way on September 30 at the century-old Al Khoziny school in Sidoarjo, on the eastern side of Java island, crushing hundreds of students, mostly boys aged 12 to 19. Only one student escaped unharmed, while 95 were treated for injuries and released. Eight others remained hospitalised with serious wounds as of Sunday.

Authorities said the two- story building had been illegally extended by two additional floors without a permit, which contributed to the collapse. Mudji Irmawan, a construction expert from Tenth November Institute of Technology, said the building could not bear the weight during the pouring of the third- floor concrete. He also criticised the presence of students inside a building under construction.

Sidoarjo district chief Subandi confirmed that the school had not applied for the required permit before construction began. “Many buildings, including traditional boarding school extensions in rural areas, are built without proper permits,” he said. Indonesia’s 2002 Building Construction Code requires permits before any construction, with fines and imprisonment for violations. Fatalities due to such violations can result in up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to 8 billion rupiah (nearly 4.28 Crores).

Abdus Salam Mujib, the school’s caretaker and a respected cleric, offered a public apology following the tragedy. “This is indeed God’s will, so we must all be patient. May God replace it with goodness, and reward those affected greatly,” he said.

East Java Police Chief Nanang Avianto confirmed a criminal investigation is underway. “We will investigate this case thoroughly,” he said, noting that construction experts are assisting to determine whether negligence by the school contributed to the deaths. No comment has been issued by other school officials.