On Monday, September 29, 2025, tragedy struck the Al-Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, when the building collapsed during afternoon prayers. More than 100 children, mostly teenage boys, were gathered in the lower floors at the time, according to reports from the Associated Press and corroborated by the BBC. The collapse, which happened while fresh concrete was being poured on the building’s upper floors, has since become a harrowing symbol of the broader issues plaguing building safety across Indonesia.
By Thursday, October 2, the mood at the site had shifted from desperate hope to grim acceptance. As the critical 72-hour "golden window" for rescue efforts expired, authorities announced that no additional signs of life had been detected among the estimated 59 people still missing under the rubble. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNBP), led by Suharyanto, deployed thermal drones and sophisticated equipment, but, as he stated at a press conference, “Scientifically, no signs of life were found.” The operation, once a frantic search for survivors, transitioned into a recovery mission, with heavy machinery brought in to clear debris and recover bodies.
The tragedy’s toll is severe: at least five people have been confirmed dead, and more than 100 were injured. Officials fear the death count could climb as high as 64 as recovery continues. On Wednesday evening, a fleeting moment of relief came when five students were found alive in an air pocket within the collapsed structure, but for many families, hope has faded. The BBC reported that thirteen people were freed from the debris in total, though two later died in hospital.
For the families, the ordeal has been agonizing. Many rushed to the school as soon as news broke, clinging to the possibility that their loved ones might be rescued. Ahmad Ichsan, whose 14-year-old son Arif Affandi is believed to be trapped, told Al Jazeera, “I have been here ever since. They haven’t found him yet, but I still have hope he is alive.” Another parent, Hamid, who sent her 17-year-old son Syamsul Arifin to study at the school, expressed her heartbreak: “I’m devastated, broken inside. But I’ve put everything in the hands of the Almighty. No matter what happens, no matter how things turn out for my son, I will bring him home.”
As the days passed, the atmosphere at the site became increasingly somber. The smell of decomposing bodies was overwhelming, and relatives—many of whom had been sleeping at the scene since the collapse—lined up at an on-site tent to provide DNA samples. Deris, a forensic police doctor, explained to Al Jazeera, “We take buccal swabs and then send them to the lab to be tested against the DNA of the corpses that are found at the site. Then we will take DNA samples from the victim’s bones or another body part to see if they match.”
What caused the collapse? According to Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency, the disaster was triggered by a “technological failure in construction.” Specifically, the foundation columns failed to support the weight of fresh concrete being poured on the upper floors. The regent of Sidoarjo, Subandi, told Kompas TV, “They were pouring concrete on the third floor, and because the construction didn’t meet standards, it couldn’t support the load and the whole thing came down.” He revealed that the school’s management had not applied for the required building permit before beginning construction. “This was an extension of an existing building. I checked and asked about the paperwork, none of it was there,” Subandi said. “Permits should be secured before starting construction to ensure the building meets safety standards.”
This incident has cast a harsh spotlight on Indonesia’s widespread building safety issues, especially in non-urban areas where, as Rifqi Irvansyah of the Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center explained to ABC, “community building traditions often bypass formal safety standards.” In Indonesia’s major cities, commercial and high-rise buildings are subject to strict regulatory oversight, requiring approvals from seismic engineers and disaster risk analysts. But in suburban and rural regions, the situation changes dramatically. “Here, we often see two main issues: limited public awareness and budget constraints,” Irvansyah said. Many small-scale builders skip the official permit process altogether, viewing it as bureaucratic and costly, and prioritize speed and cost-saving over safety.
Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the Disaster Mitigation Agency, described the collapse as “the first time the agency recorded a collapsing building without any triggers,” such as an earthquake—pointing directly to structural failure. He warned that many houses and buildings in Indonesia are not properly assessed or constructed to withstand seismic events, despite the country’s high earthquake risk. “The incident in Sidoarjo reflected the fragility of the buildings [in Indonesia],” Muhari said.
Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Minister, Nasaruddin Umar, has pledged to ensure that Islamic boarding schools comply with construction safety standards to prevent future tragedies. “We must not let something like this [the recent collapse] happen again,” he told reporters. “Construction has to meet the required standards.” Umar also acknowledged that students sometimes help with building extensions, but said he was not aware if that was the case in Sidoarjo.
For many, the collapse is a painful lesson about the urgent need for enforcement and reform. The Disaster Mitigation Agency emphasized in a statement, “This incident falls under technological failure-related disaster, which must be prevented through strict enforcement of construction safety standards. The public and building managers are urged to ensure proper technical supervision in building projects to avoid similar tragedies in the future.”
Rescue operations have been complicated by the unstable structure and the risk of further collapse. Until Thursday, authorities resisted bringing in heavy machinery for fear of harming any remaining survivors. But as the likelihood of finding anyone alive dwindled, recovery teams began carefully lifting concrete slabs and cutting debris into smaller pieces to retrieve bodies.
The emotional toll on the community is profound. Former student Hayyi, waiting for news of his younger brother Ahmad Suhavi, told Al Jazeera, “He just said that he was going back to the school, and I wished him well. We don’t know where he is located in the school, and we have had no updates about his status.” Another parent, Muhammad Sobir, whose 13-year-old son Nurdin had only been at the school for four months, said, “God willing, he will be found alive. I will stay here until they find him.”
As Sidoarjo and the nation mourn, the collapse of Al-Khoziny Islamic boarding school stands as a stark reminder of the human cost of neglecting building safety standards. The hope among families and officials alike is that the lessons learned from this tragedy will drive lasting change—so that no community has to endure such heartbreak again.
