Indonesia School Collapse Leaves Three Dead, Dozens Feared Trapped

At Sidoarjo-Indonesia, what should have been a quiet afternoon of prayer turned into a scene of horror and heartbreak when part of the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in East Java collapsed on Monday, killing at least three people and leaving dozens more missing.

Rescue workers continued to dig through the debris on Tuesday, searching for 38 students and construction workers believed to be trapped beneath the rubble. At least 99 people survived, though nearly 80 were hospitalized with injuries ranging from broken bones to severe trauma. The accident has shaken this community just outside Surabaya, some 780 kilometers east of Jakarta, and sparked urgent questions about safety standards in Indonesia’s rapidly expanding education sector.

Outside the school compound, families huddled together, praying and scanning a handwritten list of survivors’ names posted on a whiteboard. Television images showed mothers clutching headscarves, fathers pacing nervously, and younger siblings clinging to relatives as they waited for word.