One killed, 38 missing in Sidoarjo Islamic school collapse

Indonesian rescuers were scrambling on Tuesday to locate 38 people feared trapped under rubble after an Islamic boarding school collapsed in the province of East Java while dozens were at afternoon prayer, disaster mitigation authorities said.

One person was killed and 102 evacuated in Monday's incident at the Al Khoziny school in the town of Sidoarjo when the unstable building collapsed during construction, the disaster mitigation agency said in a statement.

Search and rescue officers stand amidst the rubble of a collapsed building, after a hall collapsed while students were praying at the Al-Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, September 30, 2025. Photo: Reuters

"This sudden occurrence caused building material to fall on dozens of students and workers," agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.

A bulldozer was among the heavy equipment he said searchers were using to shift the rubble, while nearly 80 injured were taken to hospital.

A relative of a victim of a collapsed building reacts, after a hall collapsed while students were praying at the Al-Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, September 30, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Read: Indonesia building collapse kills 3

Video images from news channel KompasTV showed families of students clustered around a whiteboard looking at a list of survivors.

The agency said the building's foundations allegedly could not support the weight of construction on its fourth floor.

Search and rescue officers search for victims amidst the rubble of a collapsed building after a hall collapsed while students were praying at the Al-Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, September 29, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Earlier in September, an Islamic study hall building also collapsed while conducting a commemoration of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad in Sukamakmur village, Bogor Regency, West Java, Indonesia, on September 7, 2025.

At least three people were killed and 84 others injured when a building hosting a religious gathering collapsed in Bogor, Indonesia.