Indonesian authorities say at least 91 students remain unaccounted for beneath the collapsed Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, East Java, nearly two days after the structure failed during afternoon prayers. Officials revised the missing tally upward after cross-checking attendance lists with reports from families. More than 300 rescue personnel are on site. Confirmed fatalities have risen to at least three, and about 100 others were treated for injuries ranging from fractures to head trauma.

What Happened

The collapse occurred while hundreds of students—predominantly boys in grades seven through twelve—were gathered in the prayer hall on the lower levels of a century-old building. Authorities say the hall had been a two-story structure undergoing an unauthorized expansion to add two additional concrete floors. Preliminary assessments indicate the original foundation was not designed to support the added load. The failure took place during the concrete pouring phase, according to police and disaster management officials who are reviewing permits and construction practices. Female students praying in a separate area were able to evacuate. The school is located in a densely populated district south of Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city.

Search and Rescue Operations

Rescuers from the national search and rescue agency, military units, police, and local disaster teams are operating a round-the-clock effort focused on tunneling through unstable debris. Responders have avoided using heavy machinery over the main voids because of the risk of secondary collapse; cranes and excavators are being staged for peripheral debris removal where structural stability allows. Teams have established multiple access points and are using cutting tools and bracing to shore pathways as they advance.

Survivability measures are in place. Crews have threaded narrow hoses and tubes through gaps to deliver oxygen, water, and small food packets to trapped students identified by voice or tapping. Medical teams positioned adjacent to the work areas perform immediate triage and stabilization for survivors as they are extricated, then transfer patients to nearby hospitals. Command posts have integrated lists of the missing with grid maps of the rubble to prioritize sectors where voices have been heard or thermal signatures detected. Officials reported intermittent contact with at least a handful of students under the concrete slabs, which continues to shape the sequencing of tunnel efforts.

Operations paused briefly late Tuesday after a magnitude-6.0 offshore earthquake was felt in the region. Structural engineers assessed additional movement in the partially collapsed frame before work resumed under stricter safety protocols. Aftershocks recorded overnight have required periodic stand-downs to recheck shoring. Weather conditions have been favorable, allowing continuous operations aside from the earthquake-related halts.

Casualties, Identification, and Family Support

The missing list was compiled from roll calls, dormitory counts, and family reports submitted at a registration desk outside the school compound. The names are posted at the site’s coordination center and updated as students are located in hospitals or brought out by rescue teams. Health officials say approximately 100 students have been treated for injuries; a subset remains hospitalized in critical condition. Confirmed deaths stand at a minimum of three, a figure expected to change as access improves to deeper sections of the collapse. Authorities have requested families provide recent photographs and basic identifiers to expedite confirmations and reduce duplication on the missing roster.

Psychosocial support units from local health services are deployed at the school and hospitals to manage family liaison points, keep order around access gates, and coordinate controlled visits to viewing areas when feasible. Security perimeters have been set to keep corridors clear for ambulances and to prevent spontaneous volunteers from entering dangerous zones without proper training and equipment. Blood supplies and surgical capacity at area hospitals have been pre-positioned, and additional orthopedic and trauma specialists are on call for surge needs.

Regulatory Review and Next Steps

Investigators from provincial police and the national disaster agency are examining compliance with building codes, permit status, contractor qualifications, and oversight of the expansion work. Authorities indicate the additional floors were being constructed without proper authorization. Forensic engineers are sampling concrete and rebar from the debris and reviewing foundation drawings, if available, to determine whether design, workmanship, materials, or load sequencing contributed to the failure. Interviews with the site supervisor, workers, school administrators, and local officials are underway to establish a timeline of procurement, inspections, and construction activity on the day of the collapse.

In parallel with the investigative track, the emergency response is moving through defined phases. The immediate objective remains live rescue. Once search teams exhaust viable voids and access all mapped sectors, operations will transition to recovery. Heavy equipment will then be deployed more broadly after engineers certify specific sections for mechanical debris removal. Authorities have not issued a firm timeline for this shift; it depends on structural behavior, aftershock activity, and outcomes from ongoing contact attempts with those still believed to be alive.

Local government has initiated a shelter plan for displaced students and staff whose dormitories or classrooms were damaged beyond safe use. Education officials are preparing temporary learning spaces at nearby facilities to maintain continuity once the site is stabilized. Public messaging emphasizes verified information from the command post to avoid confusion caused by conflicting tallies circulating on social media.

Context and Implications

Indonesia records frequent structural incidents linked to unpermitted construction, aging infrastructure, and seismic risk. This event combines all three elements: an expansion lacking authorization, a legacy structure with limited reserve capacity, and tremors that complicate rescue and stabilization. The case is likely to influence enforcement around school safety standards and additions to existing public and religious facilities. Provincial leaders have signaled stepped-up inspections of ongoing school construction and a review of local permitting practices.

For the moment, the operational picture is defined by five measurable tasks: maintaining airflow and sustenance to known survivors; expanding shored access routes into high-priority voids; stabilizing the partially standing frame against aftershocks; identifying and accounting for the missing through centralized records; and preserving evidence at the periphery for the engineering inquiry. As long as rescuers detect signs of life, mechanical demolition over the core collapse area will remain limited. Once live rescue concludes, investigators will have wider access for definitive sampling and documentation.

The status late Wednesday is unchanged on the central facts: 91 students remain listed as missing under the rubble of the Al Khoziny school; the confirmed death toll stands at least at three; roughly 100 students have been treated for injuries; and more than 300 personnel continue search, rescue, and medical operations under constrained, safety-centered conditions. Authorities attribute the failure to an overloaded structure during an unauthorized vertical expansion and are balancing life-safety priorities with the need to secure the scene for a detailed cause analysis.