Indonesia School Building Collapse: Three dead, dozens trapped, over 100 injured after school collapses on students

Desperate search for survivors

Hundreds of rescuers, including police, soldiers and volunteers, worked through the night with breathing equipment, stretchers and medical evacuation kits. “We have been running oxygen and water to those still trapped under the debris and keeping them alive while we work hard to get them out,” said Nanang Sigit, a search and rescue officer leading the operation, according to the Associated Press.

Eight students were found alive more than eight hours after the collapse, pulled out weak and injured but still breathing. Heavy equipment was on standby but not used, as authorities feared vibrations could cause more of the already unstable structure to cave in. Rescuers reported seeing several bodies beneath the wreckage but said their priority remained on those showing signs of life.

Operations were temporarily halted on Tuesday morning when the rubble shifted violently, sending people running for their lives. “The collapsed concrete suddenly shook,” said one witness. Ambulances waiting nearby also had to pull back until the site was deemed stable. The search resumed after nearly three hours.

Families’ agony

Outside the school and local hospitals, anguished families begged for information. A board posted at the school listed 65 students as missing, a number later revised down to 38 by disaster officials. “Oh my God… my son is still buried, oh my God please help!” one mother cried upon spotting her child’s name, according to the AP. Another father clasped a rescuer’s hand, pleading: “Please, sir, please find my child immediately.”

At least 102 students and teachers were initially taken to hospitals, many with head injuries, broken bones and other trauma. By Tuesday, 75 students and two teachers remained hospitalised, some in critical condition. Doctors said one boy had to undergo an arm amputation and two others required surgery for severe head injuries.

Not all survived. Two students pulled alive from the wreckage on Monday later died from their injuries while being treated at Notopuro General Hospital, its director Atok Irawan told the AP.

A century-old institution

The Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School, known locally as Buduran pesantren, is one of the oldest such schools in East Java. Founded in 1927, it has educated generations of religious scholars and today counts more than 2,000 students across junior high, high school and college levels.

Islamic boarding schools, or pesantren, are a defining feature of Indonesian education. Government data show more than 42,000 pesantren operate nationwide, enrolling 3.4 million students and supported by more than 370,000 teachers. Unlike public school students, pesantren pupils — known as santri — live in dormitories and remain at school year-round except during holidays.

The building that collapsed was a prayer hall undergoing unauthorised expansion. According to police, the structure originally had two floors, but two more were being added without permits. “The old building’s foundation was apparently unable to support two floors of concrete and collapsed during the pouring process,” said provincial police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast.

Questions of safety

The collapse has raised new concerns about safety oversight in Indonesia, where poorly enforced building standards and unauthorized construction are recurring issues. In recent years, the country has seen multiple deadly accidents caused by weak structures or illegal modifications.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the collapse. Meanwhile, hundreds of students displaced by the disaster are being temporarily housed in nearby facilities as officials assess the structural stability of other buildings in the school complex.

For now, the priority remains rescuing the missing. “We are doing everything possible to save lives,” said disaster agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari. “But the rubble is heavy, unstable and dangerous. We ask for patience as we continue this difficult operation.”

For the grieving families, patience has already been stretched beyond measure. As the list of victims grew and ambulances ferried more students to hospitals, cries of despair echoed across Sidoarjo. “Please, God, let my child come home,” whispered one mother, clutching a torn school uniform pulled from the rubble.

(with inputs from AP)