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East Java Boarding School Collapse During Prayers Leaves Dead and Dozens Missing

Investigators are examining unpermitted expansion, with weak foundations suspected.

Overview

  • Rescuers worked through the night at Al-Khoziny in Sidoarjo, supplying oxygen and water to trapped students and locating survivors hours after the collapse.
  • Authorities initially reported one student dead and about 99 injured, while a later local report cited three fatalities, 38 missing, 101 rescued and 77 hospitalized, with figures still provisional.
  • Police say the building was being expanded without authorization, adding two floors to an older two-story prayer hall during a concrete pour when the structure failed.
  • Most victims are boys aged roughly 12 to 17, as girls were praying in a separate area and escaped, according to survivors and officials.
  • An official investigation is underway and the government has ordered safety reviews of religious boarding schools across Java, reflecting wider concerns over construction standards in a seismically active country.