Death toll in Indonesian school collapse rises to 61 as more bodies are
recovered
[October 07, 2025]
By TRISNADI
and NINIEK KARMINI
SIDOARJO,
Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian crews recovered a dozen bodies Monday as
they searched for young people missing after a prayer hall at an Islamic
boarding school collapsed last week, bringing the death toll to 61.
The
structure caved in on Sept. 29 when the students, mostly boys between
the ages of 12 and 19, were performing afternoon prayers. The building
at the century-old Al Khoziny school in Sidoarjo on Indonesia’s Java
island was undergoing an unauthorized expansion.
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Men pray near the coffins containing the body of Nuruddin and Ahmad
Rijalul Haq who are among the victims after a building under
construction collapsed at an Islamic boarding school, during the
handover of the bodies to the family members at the police hospital in
Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Trisnadi) |
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Only one student escaped unscathed, authorities said, while 99
were treated for injuries and released. Four suffered serious
injuries and remained hospitalized Monday after undergoing
amputations.
With no more signs of life from beneath the tons of rubble three
days after the collapse, authorities last week turned to heavy
excavators to help them progress more rapidly.
The National Disaster Management Agency said rescue workers
pulled 12 bodies and at least seven body parts from the rubble
Monday. They continued their search for two students reportedly
still missing. No survivors are expected.
Authorities said most of the bodies were in a condition that
made them difficult to identify. Grief-stricken relatives
provided DNA samples to help with identification at the
Bhayangkara police hospital in the neighboring city of Surabaya,
the capital of East Java province.
The Disaster Victims Identification teams said they had managed
to identify 17 bodies by Monday and had handed over them to
their families for funerals.
___
Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia.
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