Indonesia Concludes Search After Deadly Boarding School Collapse in East Java

Indonesia Concludes Search After Deadly Boarding School Collapse in East Java
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Indonesian rescuers ended operations on Tuesday following the collapse of the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in East Java, retrieving 67 bodies and identifying eight additional body parts, The Guardian reported. The disaster left 104 survivors and is considered the deadliest of the year in the country. The collapse occurred during afternoon prayers at the two-story school in Sidoarjo, mostly affecting teenage boys.

Authorities used cranes and excavators to remove debris and searched tunnels for potential survivors before concluding that no further victims were likely. Officials allege that illegal construction, including the addition of two floors without permits, caused the structural failure.

Indonesia’s building code requires permits for construction, with violations causing fatalities carrying penalties of up to 15 years in prison and fines of nearly $500,000. The school’s caretaker, Abdus Salam Mujib, publicly apologized, calling the incident an act of divine will and urging patience. The tragedy has fueled public outrage over unauthorized and unsafe building practices in Indonesia’s educational institutions.